


This Christmas 🎄

by Wayhaughtterthanthat



Series: It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Airport bar, Alternate Universe, Christmas AU, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Romance, Christmas Time, F/F, Fake Dating, Love at first sight?, Meet the Family, Mistletoe, Nicole is a photographer, Waverly plays the guitar, Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21646966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaughtterthanthat/pseuds/Wayhaughtterthanthat
Summary: Nicole is dreading having to go home to see her family for the holidays, worried she’s going to continue to be the ‘family disappointment’ for yet another year. When her plane lands at her final destination, she decides to take a pit stop for a drink at the bar, mentally preparing herself for what’s to come. She expects to have a quiet drink, giving herself time to think, but instead meets a beautiful woman who is nervous she’s about to be stuck in the airport in a snowstorm for Christmas.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578109
Comments: 121
Kudos: 777
Collections: Home for the (WayHaught) Holidays





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, everyone! I’ve been watching Christmas movies for months now and I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I hope you enjoy! I will be updating each week this month! (Side note: it won’t change the scheduled updates for ‘Beautiful People’ so no worries there 😊)

The sound of the seatbelt sign finally turning off is like music to Nicole Haught’s ears after a four hour flight, cramped between two strangers. The flight was at full capacity, actually, it was overbooked as the gate agent announced before they boarded, giving people the option of a free flight if they waited until the next one. It crossed her mind for a moment to take the offer, giving her a little more time before she has to see her family again. Or more like she has to face her family. 

Living on the other side of the country from them is one of the best things she’s ever done for her sanity, but the holidays meant she could no longer hide. It’s not that she doesn’t love her family, she just likes to love them from a distance. With her overbearing parents and her two ‘perfect’ siblings, she’s always been the self-proclaimed ‘black sheep’ of the family. Going home to stay with her family means she is about to get bombarded with a year’s worth of questions, and right now she’s just wondering if her answers will live up to their expectations. 

The passengers begin to shift in the airplane, the aisle fills with people trying to retrieve their baggage from the overhead compartments. The redhead leans down and pulls her backpack out from underneath the seat in front of her, securing it in her lap as she waits for enough people to move to allow her to get off of the plane as well. She watches as people become easily frustrated as if it’s going to make the time move faster and get them off the plane quicker.

Moments later, the crowd starts to move and Nicole quickly takes the opportunity to stand in front of her seat, ducking her head so she doesn’t hit it on the baggage compartments above her. The passengers move slowly, but she eventually makes it to the front of the plane where the flight crew is saying farewell to each passenger as they depart the plane. 

“Thank you,” Nicole says to the nearest flight attendant with a smile as she turns to make her way off of the plane.

The walk down the tunnel is filled with the sound of luggage wheels and people talking loudly about who’s coming to pick them up, the fact that people better be on time, and some complaints about having to go to their grandparents for dinner this year because they no longer like to leave their house. There’s also a low hum of more people talking at a distance that becomes louder with every step she takes. 

By the time she makes it out of the tunnel and into the terminal, the talking is no longer at a hum. The overwhelming sound of the thousands of people that fill the airport hit her ears like a freight train, accompanied by the sound of Christmas music playing from overhead. She’s immediately overwhelmed and she thinks about how her parents’ house probably won’t feel much different. While there will be significantly less people, the noise level will feel the same with the amount of conversations that will take place at once. 

She pictures her parents arguing over who gets to carve the turkey for Christmas dinner and who does it better. She pictures her brother and his wife pretending to have the world’s happiest marriage when she knows deep down they mostly only stay together for the kids. She wonders why they even got married in the first place. It was a shock when they first got together, especially to Nicole, who had been close with her for years. Close wasn’t even a good enough word to describe it. While they never dated, they had spent a few long rides in the back of the bus together after away games in high school. She wonders if her brother even knows about that. 

She sees her younger sister and her new husband, Jack, pulling out their phones to share photos of their most recent European adventure, talking about their excitement about becoming parents soon. She hears her mother make not-so-subtle comments to her about when she’s going to settle down and start a family. She hears her father ask about her job, hinting at his hope that she’s decided to make a more stable career choice. 

She sees her nieces and her nephew running around the room, all hyped up on gingerbread and eggnog. Her sister-in-law huffing at her brother under her breath to try to get them under control. Her father telling them ‘kids will be kids’ as he hands them their seventh candy cane of the day. 

Somewhere in her walk away from the terminal, lost in her thoughts, she finds herself in a bar in the middle of the airport. She silently praises herself for omitting information about when her flight landed in her last phone conversation with her mother, allowing her more time to compose herself before she needs to make an appearance. She sees a free spot at the bar and quickly slides into the seat, setting her bag down on the floor next to her as she mentally comes up with a quick story about flight delays to feed her parents if they ask. 

“Better watch where you leave your bag,” a voice comes from next to her. She looks up to see a greasy man sitting two seats down from her. She glances down at her bag, looping her foot in the strap. “This place is swarming with thieves,” he tells her with a grin. 

She takes another look at the man, but doesn’t speak. She looks around the bar, noticing it’s fairly packed which isn’t a surprise to her. It’s two days before Christmas, the entire airport is packed with people trying to get somewhere. 

Thankfully, the empty spot between her and the man is quickly filled, allowing her to further ignore his comments. She continues to look around at the people in the bar, wondering what their stories are. She wonders if anyone else is already home, but prolonging their appearance at their parents’ house as well. She wonders where others are headed, how much further their journey is, who they’re off to go see. 

The bartender finally makes her way over to where Nicole is seated, but before she can speak, the woman first asks the person next to her what they’ll have to drink. Nicole hears a woman’s voice order as she looks up, confused as to why she wasn’t served first since since she’s been there. She doesn’t say anything though, she doesn’t see the point, she’s not really in a hurry. 

“Peppermint martini, please,” the woman says in the most cheerful voice Nicole has heard all day. She finally looks up at the woman’s face. She’s taken aback by her beauty. Her brown hair, styled perfectly with a slight curl, falls down her back. Her shoulders and arms are well defined under the tightly fitted, red sweater she wears. The woman turns, offering her a warm smile, hazel eyes crinkling slightly. Nicole smiles back. “And whatever she’s having,” the brunette adds, gesturing toward Nicole. 

Nicole is surprised by the gesture, but feels the bartenders eyes on her and turns her attention toward her. “Uh, rum and coke?” She responds. 

The bartender nods and moves down the bar to make their drinks. Nicole turns her attention back toward the beautiful stranger next to her. “You’re not trying to distract me so someone else can rob me, are you?” She tries to crack a joke. 

The woman looks back at her confused. Suddenly the sound of glasses clinking on the counter catches her attention. Nicole smiles up at the bartender, thanking her for the drink. She watches as the woman hands the bartender cash for the two drinks and turns back toward Nicole. 

“Not interested in robbing you,” the woman says as she takes a sip of her drink before setting it back down in front of her. “Just saw you were alone and wanted to offer you a gesture of a...Merry Christmas,” she explains. 

“That was a,” Nicole starts. “I was making a joke,” she tells her. “I,” she stutters. “Thank you,” she finally settles in not trying to explain her stupid joke anymore. 

“I’m Waverly,” the brunette offers her a smile followed by her hand to shake. Nicole appreciates that she doesn’t call her out for her inability to make sense right now. 

“Nicole,” the redhead says with a smile, offering her a firm handshake. She takes a sip of her drink and lets out an involuntary, audible sigh.

“Long day?” The brunette asks, giving her a small laugh. Nicole figures she’s being a little transparent and takes another sip of her drink, letting out a laugh. 

“Sort of,” she says. “Probably about to get longer,” she adds. She quickly remembers the obligations she has to her family for the rest of the week. 

“On your way home for the holidays?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole nods at the question. She’s not sure if she should tell her she’s already home. How much of a loser does it make her look like if she’s already home for the holidays, but she’s hiding out at the airport bar for as long as she possibly can? 

“You?” She asks. 

“On my way back from doing a little traveling,” Waverly says with a nod. “Just one more flight,” she continues. “That’s if it doesn’t end up canceled.” 

Nicole can tell she seems worried about getting stranded at the airport. She follows the brunette’s eyes that are now looking out the window on the other side of the airport. “Looks like the snow is coming down pretty hard out there,” Nicole says, continuing to watch the snow fall. “Got a back up plan?” She asks. 

The brunette turns her head back toward the redhead. “Usually I’m pretty ahead of the game with planning,” she says with a small laugh. “But honestly, I guess I’ll just be stuck here until there’s another flight,” she says with a shrug. She seems a little panicked about the idea. Nicole can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she thinks of what else she’ll do. 

“Well, if you need the company, I’ll be here for a while,” Nicole says. She places her hand gently on the brunette’s arm, receiving a soft smile from the other woman. 

“Long layover?” Waverly asks. 

Nicole pauses for a moment. Does she lie and make up some story about having another flight later? Or should she tell her the truth and tell her she’s just being a coward, not wanting to go home quite yet. She pulls her hand back and rubs the back of her neck. 

“I’m actually home,” Nicole says, hesitantly. “I know it probably sounds stupid,” she continues. “But I’m just not ready to face what’s waiting for me yet.” 

“Crazy family?” Waverly asks. Nicole is surprised at how easily the brunette accepts her for her decisions. It’s comforting. 

“You could say that,” the redhead laughs. She takes another sip of the drink that’s sitting on the bar in front of her. She hasn’t taken her hand off the glass as if it’s going to disappear if she does. “Not quite ready to be the family disappointment yet,” she says, fearing that she’s doing a bit of over sharing with a perfect stranger. 

“Ah,” Waverly says, knowingly, nodding her head. 

“You too?” Nicole asks. Something in her tells her that Waverly is too good of a person to ever be a disappointment to anyone. 

“Not exactly,” the brunette says. “But I totally get the disappointed side of things,” she explains. “But you first,” she points toward the redhead, taking another sip of her drink as well. 

“Okay,” Nicole says. She takes her hand that was once resting on Waverly’s arm, rubbing the back of her neck with it again before she continues. “I’m a photographer,” she tells her. Waverly looks at her confused. “I’m not a doctor. I’m not an accountant. I’m an artist and that’s not a suitable career choice,” she explains, mocking her father’s voice a bit. 

“So you’re the family rebel,” Waverly teases. “I take it there’s a doctor and an accountant in the family too?” 

Nicole nods. “Accountant brother, doctor sister,” she says. “I'm the typical middle child,” she laughs. “And I just feel like the holidays bring so much pressure to impress, you know?” 

“Photography seems pretty impressive to me,” the brunette says with a smile. The smile extends to her eyes again and Nicole can’t help but notice her beauty. Nicole feels her cheeks blush as she stares back at her. 

“Are you trying to sweet talk me?” Nicole asks with a smirk. Usually she’s not this forward with strangers, but there’s something about this stranger that she finds herself to be comfortable with. It’s almost as if they’ve known each other longer than the twenty minutes they’ve been sitting next to each other at the bar. 

Waverly doesn’t answer her. She just smirks back at her over the edge of her martini glass before taking another sip and giving her a quick wink. 

“So what made you become a photographer?” Waverly asks. 

“Passion,” Nicole answers, quickly. She takes another sip of her drink. “Everything moves so quickly around us everyday and not enough people take the time to stop and enjoy it, so I figured if I capture it on film, it gives people time to get to see the world the way I see it. I like to give people extra time to see things they might not take the time to see,” she explains. 

Waverly listens intently as the redhead speaks. Nicole feels warmth in her cheeks when she realizes she’s chatting her ear off. 

“That’s really beautiful,” Waverly says when Nicole finally gives her a chance to comment. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says. “I could go on for days,” she admits with a laugh. 

“Hey,” Waverly says. She places a hand softly on Nicole’s arm. Nicole’s eyes trail down toward the brunette’s fingers that linger against her skin for a moment before she moves her hand to grab her drink. “Don’t apologize. People should never apologize for talking about what they love,” she tells her. “Or really for anything that you didn’t do wrong,” she adds. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says again. “I mean,” she corrects herself, laughing softly. “My dad used to try to push me into something he thought would be more stable. You know, more corporate, more job security, retirement funds, cushy future,” she explains.

“I think it’s brave to follow your passion,” Waverly tells her. “To go down the unbeaten path, regardless of how scary it might be.” 

“Too bad not everyone feels that way,” Nicole says with a laugh, receiving a sympathetic look from the brunette. “You’re turn,” Nicole says. 

“For?” Waverly asks. 

“What’s your holiday disappointment?” Nicole asks. She sees the lightbulb of understanding go off in the brunette’s head. 

“Ah,” she says as she looks down at her drink and swishes the liquid around for a moment before she sets the drink glass back down in front of her. “My sister,” she finally says. 

“Is she a free spirited artist that can’t do anything right too?” Nicole asks, partly joking to try to keep the mood light. 

“Free spirited, yes,” Waverly laughs. “She’s been in Greece for a while, at least that’s where I think she is, she says. “It’s always a game of ‘will she or will she not make an appearance for Christmas.’ To be honest, Christmas isn’t what it used to be,” she sighs.

Nicole looks into the brunette’s eyes. She swears she can see pain deep down, not knowing exactly what caused it in detail, but something in her wishes she could lessen it. 

“I get that,” she says. Christmas is definitely not what it used to be for Nicole either. She doesn’t remember exactly when it became a time she dreaded. When it became a time she anticipated disappointing her family, being compared to her siblings, the fake smiles, the ‘you’ll get there someday’ comments. She always wondered where ‘there’ was. She never thought she was anywhere other than where she was supposed to be, but apparently family has a different opinion. 

“Are you driving?” Waverly asks, breaking the redhead from her thoughts. 

“No,” Nicole responds. “I’ll take the train in,” she says. She glances outside again, noticing the snow still hasn’t really let up. Part of her hopes for the snow to continue, not really wanting her time with Waverly to end any time soon. But the less selfish part of her hopes that the brunette’s plans aren’t ruined and she makes it home safely for the holidays. 

“Hey, can we get another round?” Waverly calls out to the bartender, gesturing toward the nearly empty glasses in front of the pair. The bartender nods and returns soon after with refills. 

Waverly starts to pull out her wallet again and Nicole places her hand over the brunette’s and laughs. “I got this one,” she says as she pulls out her wallet to pay. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says with a smile as she puts her wallet away. 

“So, Christmas isn’t what it used to be,” Nicole says. “But what’s your best Christmas memory?” She asks. 

“As a kid?” Waverly asks. She finishes off the rest of her first drink, immediately bringing the second one to her lips. 

“Whenever,” Nicole tells her. 

“Definitely finding the perfect Christmas tree with my daddy and sisters,” the brunette says with a smile. She looks off into the distance a little as if she’s picturing the memory. “Or decorating the tree,” she says, turning back toward the redhead. “One year, I thought it needed a new angel for the top so I made one, and let’s just say, it’s creative,” she laughs.

Nicole gives her a questioning look. “Please elaborate,” she says with a laugh as she takes a sip of her new drink.

“I made it out of what I could find around the house,” Waverly says, continuing to answer vaguely. She turns away slightly, avoiding eye contact with the redhead. 

“What’s it made of?” Nicole asks. This sounds way too good to let her get away with not telling her. 

“Tampons,” Waverly says quickly, taking a larger gulp of her drink. 

Nicole practically spits out her drink that she just took a sip of as she breaks out into laughter. “You made a tampon angel?” She asks, just for extra clarification. 

“When you’re six, you get creative,” Waverly says with a laugh, shrugging her shoulders a bit. 

“That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard, hands down, you win,” Nicole says. Laughter continues to pour out of her as she bows down to the brunette sitting next to her. 

“Okay, okay, what’s a Christmas tradition you loved growing up?” Waverly asks, clearly trying to change the subject. 

“Chinese food on Christmas Eve,” Nicole answers quickly, definitely something she doesn’t have to think twice about. 

“Really?” Waverly asks. Nicole pauses for a moment, she never thought of it as possibly being a weird tradition. 

“Yeah and Christmas movies,” she adds. “We’d pick a movie to watch as a family, which usually was never my choice, but I enjoyed that time,” she can’t help but smile at the thought of what Christmas was like as a kid. She thinks briefly about her nieces and her nephew. Seeing their excitement is the best part of being home for the holidays.

“That sounds very sweet,” Waverly says with a smile. “Did that tradition stop?” She asks. 

“It was,” Nicole agrees. “No, we still do it,” she says. “It has mostly turned into my siblings reciting the movies as they play, but I’ve gotten used to it,” she laughs. “My turn for a question.”

“Okay, shoot,” the brunette responds with a smile. 

“What’s your favorite Christmas song?” Nicole asks. She doesn’t like to admit it, but she’s always been a fan of Christmas music playing everywhere, even if it does start right after Halloween. 

“Christmas,” Waverly finally answers after a few moments of thought. 

“You’re going to have to give me more details than that,” Nicole teases. 

“Baby, please come home,” the brunette sings. Nicole can’t help but lean in a little as the sound of Waverly’s singing fills her ears. She’s not even surprised by how beautiful she sounds when she sings, but she wishes she would continue. 

“You can sing,” Nicole says. It’s more of a statement than a question. She smiles as the brunette blushes. “You have a beautiful voice,” she adds. 

A smile grows on Waverly’s face as she appears to grow a little shy for a moment. “Thanks,” she says. “Usually I don’t do this,” she adds. 

“What’s that?” Nicole asks. 

“Well, all of this,” Waverly says with a laugh. “Overshare about my life with strangers. And definitely not sing to them,” she says. 

“Really? I always sing to strangers in crowded airport bars,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at the redhead. “I don’t normally sing in front of many people,” she admits. “Part of me wishes I could get over that though.” 

“Would you want to perform?” Nicole asks. 

“There’s something exciting about the thought of it,” Waverly says. Nicole sees a sparkle in the brunette’s eyes as a smile forms on her face. 

“You should give it a try,” Nicole suggests. 

“Oh, right, easy for you to say, you’ve heard me sing four words,” Waverly says, sarcastically, with a laugh. 

“Well, if it’s something you’re passionate about and it makes you happy, why not?” Nicole asks. 

“You talk a big game for someone who doesn’t want to disappoint her parents,” Waverly teases. Nicole shakes her head as she takes another sip of her drink. “I’m sorry, that was a little too forward,” the brunette quickly retracts her statement. 

“No,” Nicole says. “I appreciate the honesty,” she assures her. 

“Sure, but you probably don’t need a lecture from someone who doesn’t even know you,” Waverly tells her. 

“You know all the important stuff,” Nicole jokes. 

“Oh, right,” Waverly says. “Photographer, likes Chinese food on Christmas Eve, typical middle child status,” she lists off facts Nicole has told her about herself. 

“See?” Nicole asks with a laugh. “You know me already,” she teases, causing the brunette to break out into laughter. Nicole feels the brunette place her hand gently on her arm again. Waverly’s fingers feel cold against her warm skin. She doesn’t want the contact to stop. 

“I guess there’s nothing else to learn then,” Waverly says with a wink. Nicole hopes that doesn’t mean they’re done talking. She really doesn’t want to have to head home yet. 

“I’m sure there’s more to learn,” Nicole says with a smile. “Do you have any Christmas traditions?” She asks, hoping to keep the brunette talking, even if it’s just for a little while longer. 

“Every year, before he died, my dad would bring home a new snow globe from wherever he traveled to for work,” Waverly tells her, a smile grows on her face as she talks about the memory. “Sometimes he would have a few from making several stops throughout his travels. After a while we had a bunch lined up on a shelf,” she continues. “Sometimes I would shake them all and see if I could get them all moving at the same time,” she laughs. 

“That’s adorable,” Nicole says, smiling back at the brunette as she listens intently. 

“A few years ago, we were moving and the box that had them all in fell,” Waverly tells her, her face drops as she says this. “They all shattered, except for two or three. I cried for like forty five minutes,” she admits, slightly embarrassed. “Feel free to judge me.” 

“I wouldn’t judge you for that!” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“A grown woman crying over snow globes?” Waverly asks as if she’s reiterating to the redhead that she feels like she sounds a little crazy. 

“Sure, but I’m sure it had more to do with the memory,” Nicole tells her, understanding. 

“Are you trying to sweet talk me now?” Waverly teases. Nicole shakes her head, but she can’t help but smile. She picks up the glass from the bar in front of her, realizing her drink is almost gone. She wants to order another, but she doesn’t want to pressure the other woman to keep spending time with her. 

“Christmas presents,” Nicole says, suddenly. Waverly turns her attention toward the redhead, waiting for the rest of the sentence. “Would you rather give or receive?” The redhead asks. 

“We’re definitely talking about presents here, right?” Waverly asks with a smirk. 

Nicole’s eyes widen at the comment. She swallows hard, her mouth suddenly feels dry. She takes a quick swig of her drink. 

“I’m just teasing,” Waverly says with a laugh. “But I do like to give,” she tells, giving her another smirk. 

Nicole watches as the brunette drinks the rest of the liquid contents of her glass. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulls it out to see her mom’s name on the screen. She pushes the side button to mute the vibration and sets it down on the bar in front of her. She notices the brunette glance at her phone, but appreciates it when she doesn’t ask. 

“So tell me, Waverly, what do you do?” Nicole asks. She realizes she’s shared a lot about herself without asking questions in return. Maybe talking to a random stranger in the airport bar was exactly what she needed. 

“I teach,” Waverly responds. “Second grade,” she elaborates. 

“Oh, I’m sure that’s fun around this time of the year,” Nicole says with a laugh. She knows how her brother’s kids get around Christmas, she can only imagine being in a school full of kids. 

“Christmas break has its perks,” Waverly jokes. “But I do love it,” she says with a smile. 

“But peppermint martinis help too?” Nicole teases. 

“Definitely,” Waverly sighs as she takes another sip of her drink. 

“Maybe I would have liked school better if I had you as a teacher,” Nicole adds, boldly, gaining a grin from the brunette. 

“But if I were your teacher, we wouldn’t be having a drink together right now,” Waverly teases, giving her a wink. 

“Okay, okay,” Nicole says. “Terrible trade off,” she laughs. 

“It has definitely helped the time go by,” Waverly tells her. She glances down at her phone, checking the time. “I should probably head toward my gate soon though,” she says. 

Nicole tries not to show her disappointment that their time is about to come to an end. She nods and slides her chair out from the bar. “Can I walk you?” She asks as she slings her back back over her shoulder. 

“I’d like that,” Waverly says with a smile as she stands from the bar. Nicole watches as the brunette collects her belongings, noticing a guitar bag slung over the back of the chair. 

”You play the guitar too?” Nicole asks as they start walking out of the bar and back into the busy airport. 

“Maybe I just carry it around to make me look cool,” the brunette teases. Nicole shakes her head at her and watches as the brunette walks past her, making her way up to the flight departure screens. She scans the screen and lets out a sigh as she turns back toward Nicole. 

“Delayed?” Nicole asks, she can see that it’s still snowing through the windows that line most of the airport. 

Waverly nods. “I should probably call my aunt,” she tells her. “Walk me to my gate first?” She asks. 

Nicole smiles and follows the brunette through the airport. They continue chatting on their way toward the gate. As they walk, Nicole’s eyes traveling between the people throughout the airport, spending more time watching some. 

“I like people watching,” she admits. She feels Waverly’s eyes on her as she watches various people. 

“This is a great place for it,” Waverly says with a laugh, gesturing around time the hundreds of people that occupy space throughout the building. 

“Especially at Christmas time,” Nicoke says. “It’s amazing the stories you can pick up from people just by spending the time to notice them.” 

Nicole continues to look around the area more as she walks the brunette toward her gate. She notices people displaying clear frustration over their flights being delayed. She notices people being hopeful that they’re still going to get to their destination on time. She notices the way people interact with each other, some appear in love, some are fighting, others just chatting. 

“My mom would always tell me to ‘slow down and notice people’ and that it would really change my perspective on things,” she explains. “She doesn’t even realize that she had a lot to do with me becoming a photographer,” she laughs. 

“Maybe she does realize it and blames herself for your rebellion,” Waverly teases, playfully slapping Nicole on the arm. 

“Maybe she’d listen if you told her that,” Nicole says with a laugh. They slow down as they reach the gate that Waverly’s flight is scheduled to leave from. Nicole doesn’t want to leave her, but knows it’s time to go their separate ways. She turns to the brunette and says, “Thank you, Waverly, for a wonderful time.” 

The brunette smiles back at her. “No, thank you,” she says. “You’ve been great company. Good luck with the family.”

Nicole groans. “Thanks,” she says, causing Waverly to laugh.

“Try not to be so hard on yourself,” Waverly tells her. She touches her arm with her hand, rubbing it softly. It’s comforting. “You’re right where you’re supposed to be,” she adds with a smile. 

“You want to come home with me and tell that to my mom when she asks me why I haven’t found a wife and settled down yet?” Nicole asks with a laugh. 

“Oh, that’s always the best, isn’t it?” Waverly asks, sarcastically. Nicole nods in agreement. 

“Thank you again, Waverly,” Nicole says. “Hopefully your flight arrives soon,” she adds. She knows she probably shouldn’t continue taking up this woman’s time.

“I hope so too,” Waverly says, turning again to look outside at the weather, then back at the screens that still read ‘delayed’ in several spots. 

“Merry Christmas, Waverly,” Nicole says with a smile. 

“Merry Christmas, Nicole.” 

The smile is returned. 

And with that, she offers her one last smile and turns away from possibly one of the most incredible women she will ever meet in her life, even if she doesn’t know that yet. 

She steals a glance behind her to see Waverly continuing to look in her direction, a smile on her face. That smile only grows bigger and is accompanied by a small wave when the redhead makes eye contact with her. Nicole flashes her a dimpled smile in return, followed by a wave, before turning back in the direction she is walking in. 

As she makes her way through the airport, she walks slowly, noticing the people around her in greater detail now. She sees kids running around their frustrated parents. She sees people pacing back and forth while they talk on the phone. She sees couples, sitting close, who seem to be enjoying their time together regardless of the situation. One person in particular catches her eye. There’s an older man standing in one of the windows, facing the outside world. He leans slightly against the window, hand flat against the glass, watching the snow fall. She wonders for a moment what he’s thinking. She wonders where he’s been, where he’s headed. 

As she continues, she wonders what Waverly is doing at this very moment. She wonders if she’s watching the snow fall, or if she’s on the phone with her aunt. She wonders what her aunt is like and what it’s like where she’s from. She suddenly wants to know more about the woman that she just spent the last couple of hours with, giving her one of the best holiday experiences she’s ever had as an adult. She wonders how one encounter with a complete stranger could make her feel that way. 

As she turns the corner, making her way even further away from where she wants to be, she sees a line of gift shops that all seem to be lit up brighter than anything else in the airport. She glances inside of one of the shops for a moment, noticing a display that catches her eye. 

Something in her tells her to go inside and make a purchase. After handing the cashier cash, he hands her the item in a brown paper bag along with her change. She thanks the man and heads out of the store in the opposite direction than she was walking before she entered the store. 

As she walks back through the airport, she notices the man still standing in the window. She sees the couples sitting together, the people on their phones, kids running around their frustrated parents. From a distance she sees the brunette. She’s sitting with her back to Nicole, and appears to be on the phone. She continues walking in her direction, watching as the brunette hangs up the phone and tucks it away. 

Suddenly there’s an announcement made over the loudspeaker of the airport indicating that all flights have been grounded due to weather. Nicole watches as Waverly’s head tilts slightly back as if she’s groaning at the thought of continuing to be stuck at the airport. She watches as the brunette rubs her face with her hand and pulls her phone back out, typing for a moment before putting it back down. 

Nicole grasps the paper bag in her hand, feeling in crumple a bit under her grasp. She makes her way closer to the brunette, who’s back is still to her. She notices as Waverly places a pair of headphones over her ears. She wonders for a moment what kind of music Waverly likes to listen to. 

Noticing an empty seat next to the brunette, she walks a little faster, sliding into the empty chair. It doesn’t take long for Waverly to turn toward her with a warm smile as if she’s greeting a new stranger who’s there to occupy the space next to her. Her eyes light up when she recognizes the redhead next to her, quickly pulling at her headphones to remove them. 

“Nicole?” Waverly asks, surprised to see her again. Nicole smiles back at her, continuing to grasp the paper bag tightly in her hand. “I thought you’d be on a train back home by now,” she says. 

“I was headed that way,” Nicole says. “But I saw this,” she tells her as she holds up the paper bag in her hand. “And I wanted to give it to you.” 

Waverly’s eyes travel to the paper bag, she appears confused at first. “You didn’t have to,” she says, eyes traveling up to Nicole’s. 

“I know,” Nicole says, holding the bag out for her to take. “But I wanted to,” she insists as Waverly takes the bag from her hands. Nicole watches as the brunette opens the bag, looking inside before she takes out the contents. 

The brunette’s face lights up as she reaches in the bag and pulls out a snow globe. Nicole takes the paper bag from her, allowing her space to look at the item further. Waverly continues to smile as she notices the inside of the snow globe that contains a small model of the airport with a couple of airplanes on the ground near the building. 

“This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever given me,” the brunette says, tears in her eyes, as she shakes the snow globe and watches as the fake snow fills the inside. “Looks pretty accurate,” she says with a laugh, gesturing toward the window at the snow still coming down outside. “Thank you,” she says, finally making eye contact with Nicole. “This is really awesome.” 

“I saw it on my way out and I couldn’t resist,” Nicole tells her, flashing her a dimpled smile. She’s pleasantly surprised when she feels the brunette’s arms around her neck, giving her a hug. Nicole quickly reciprocates the hug. 

Waverly is still smiling when she pulls away and she gives the snow globe another shake. “Looks like I’ll be here for a while,” she says. 

“I just heard,” Nicole says, giving her a sympathetic look as she gestures toward the intercom system above them. “Do you want company?” 

“I don’t want to keep you,” Waverly says. “I should probably go find out how long we’re looking at,” she says as she gestures toward an information desk with a crowd of people surrounding it. 

“I’ll wait with your stuff,” Nicole suggests, allowing the brunette to go find out about her flights. 

“You’re not trying to rob me now, are you?” Waverly teases. Nicole laughs and shakes her head as the brunette stands and makes her way over to the desk. 

Waverly heads back toward her after a few minutes with a look on her face that read sheer disappointment. Nicole assumes she hasn’t been given good news. She pulls her phone back out, putting one finger up to let Nicole she will be right back again. Nicole watches as the brunette paces back and forth while she’s talking on the phone. She’s at a far enough distance that the redhead can’t make out what she is saying, but she can tell she’s not very happy. 

“Looks like I might be spending some time here, afterall,” the brunette says as she makes her way back over to Nicole, plopping down in the chair next to her. 

“What did they say?” Nicoke asks. 

“All flight grounded until tomorrow at least,” she says with a sigh. “But the next flight out to where I’m going isn’t until Christmas Day.” 

Nicole sees the brunette’s eyes drop to the floor in frustration. She wants nothing more than to make things better for her in this moment. She thinks for a second about what she could do. She feels bad for the brunette’s travel plans being ruined by the weather. She also doesn’t want to have to leave her alone in the airport, especially not at Christmas time. 

“Come home with me,” Nicole says quickly. The words fall out of her mouth before she’s able to fully think it through, but she doesn’t regret the offer. 

“What?!” Waverly asks in a tone that shows she feels like the offer is crazy.

“Come home with me,” Nicole repeats. “Look, if you’re going to be stuck in town, you might as well have some place more comfortable to spend your time,” she continues to try to sell her offer. 

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Waverly says. “You’re just going to show up with a random stranger that you picked up at the airport? How is your family going to respond to that?”

Nicole thinks for a moment. Okay, maybe it is a little crazy sounded. But, what if…?

“Be my girlfriend then,” she suggests, realizing what that sounds like. “I mean, my fake girlfriend. Come home with me, we’ll tell my family we’re dating,” she explains. “It’ll give you a place to stay for a couple nights, a free meal, I’ll bring you back to the airport Christmas morning.”

“You’re crazy,” Waverly says, clearly not that interested in going along with the plan. “I couldn’t impose,” she tells her.

“Come on!” Nicole says. “They’ll love you!” she tries to convince her. “Would you rather spend the night at the airport?”

Waverly stops for a moment. Nicole can tell she’s really thinking about the offer. Sure, it’s a little crazy to bring someone she just met a couple of hours ago home with her, but selfishly, she thinks maybe it will make her time at home a little easier. Maybe if her family thinks she’s found someone, they’ll get off her case about their fears for the future of her life. 

“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Waverly asks. A smile grows on the redhead’s face. 

“Ready to test your acting skills?” The redhead teases. Waverly seems a little reluctant for a moment, but still goes along with it. 

“This is crazy,” Waverly says as she stands from her seat, collecting her bag. “But it could be fun,” she says with a smile. 

Nicole stands from her seat and they head away from the airport terminal. She grows a little nervous at the thought of showing up at the house with a complete stranger, someone she hasn’t even mentioned to her parents yet. Not that she really could have mentioned her since she just met her earlier that day. 

She tries to push her nerves to the side as they make their way toward the trains outside of the airport. The air is freezing cold when it his her face. She takes in a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying finally being outside again after the long day she’s had already. The snow still falls steadily from the sky, she silently thanks it for giving her a little more time with the brunette. Not that she thinks anything realistic can come from this situation. They’re from two totally different places, but it doesn’t hurt to dream for just a little while longer. 

Once on the train, they sit in a couple of empty seats that they see toward the back. It’s quiet, which Nicole appreciates, giving them time to plan their cover story for when they arrived at her parents’ house. Waverly sits down first, placing her bags in the seat next to her. She sets her guitar case on the floor of the rain, leaning it against the window in between the facing seats. 

Nicole sits down in the seat across from the brunette, placing her bags down next to her as well. “We need a story,” she says. “How did we meet?” She asks. 

The brunette stops and thinks for a moment. “We met at an airport bar,” Waverly says, pointing a finger toward the redhead. 

Nicole gives her a look. She thinks about how her parents are going to respond to that. She does travel a lot. Hell, they don’t know what she does with her time. “It’s a little trashy, but they might go for it,” she says. “But not this one,” she adds. 

Waverly quickly shakes her head. “And not today,” she adds with a laugh. “Okay, so how long have we been together?” She asks. 

“Less than a year,” Nicole says. “I saw my family six months ago for my sister's wedding and I told them I wasn’t seeing anyone,” she says as if she’s more or less thinking out loud. 

“But it was still pretty new so you didn’t want to jinx anything?” Waverly suggests. 

“Yes!” Nicole says, lighting up. “Genius!” She smiles at the brunette. 

“I know,” Waverly teases, causing Nicole to laugh. “Okay, so we met at an airport bar. Eight months ago. I was on my way back from traveling during spring break,” the brunette continues to make up a story. “And I saw you sitting alone at the bar.” 

“Man, I already sound like a loser,” Nicole laughs. 

“You caught my eye,” Waverly adds. Nicole smiles softly at the brunette. “There was something about you that stood out from everyone else in the bar,” she tells her. 

“Yeah?” Nicole asks. “You sat down next to me and I got lost in the way you smile all the way into your eyes,” she says. 

“You smiled back at me and as soon as I saw that dimple I knew I was hooked,” Waverly says, smiling. 

Nicole can’t help but smile, dimple appearing slightly. She touches her cheek with her fingers. “You bought me a drink and I found you to be really sweet.”

“You thought I was trying to rob you,” Waverly adds. 

“That was a misunderstanding,” Nicole says, quickly, putting her hands up in front of her. 

“You were surprised it didn’t scare me away,” Waverly continues to add to the story. 

“A little,” Nicole says. She realizes she’s not necessarily staying with the story. “I mean, yeah, and we talked for hours in between flights,” she continues with the story. 

“I couldn’t help but think about how easy it was to talk to you,” Waverly says. 

“I didn’t even realize how much time had passed,” Nicole adds. 

“You almost missed your flight,” Waverly says. Nicole can see the wheels turning as the brunette continues to participate in making up a story with her. 

“But I told you I would have gladly missed it for you,” Nicole tells her. She catches a glimpse of a smile on the brunette’s face. 

“I thought you always had something sweet to say, a little cheesy, but sweet,” Waverly adds through her smile. 

“Ouch,” Nicole cringes, pretending to be hurt. She dramatically puts her hand over her heart, causing the brunette to laugh. 

“But lucky for you,” Waverly continues. “I’m into cheesy,” she says with a wink. 

Nicole smiles. She feels her heart flutter at the idea of having someone in her life that she would want to bring home to her parents some day. It’s not that she hasn’t dated throughout the years, but no one has ever made her feel like she could possibly spend the rest of her life with them. No one has ever made her feel like she’s willing to make a commitment. Not that this person sitting in front of her is someone she’s about to spend the rest of her life with, but the story paints a picture of what it could be like to be in love with someone someday. 

“So was it long before we moved in?” Nicole asks, trying to break free from her thoughts and continue to prepare for their arrival at her parent’s house. 

“Oh, we’ve already moved in?” Waverly teases. 

“It’s going to help my parents believe that I’m serious about you,” Nicole explains. “They’ve literally never met anyone I’ve dated, I definitely wouldn’t just bring any random girl home,” she says. She pauses for a moment and receives a look from Waverly. Nicole breaks out into laughter. “Okay, apparently I would,” she says. “But this is different.” 

“Oh yeah, we’ve known each other for a few hours now,” Waverly says. “I’m definitely not random,” she teases. 

“Hey, I even bought you a Christmas present!” Nicole tells her, knowing that she’s still not helping her argument. 

Waverly laughs again. “That was really sweet,” she tells her. “Okay, so we moved in quickly, it seemed crazy…” 

“But it seemed right,” Nicole adds, quickly. “Maybe we don’t live together,” she rethinks the idea. “They’re going to really wonder why I kept you from them for so long.” 

Waverly laughs. “Are they going to ask this many details?” She asks. 

Nicole shrugs. She’s unsure what her family is going to ask, maybe they can manage to just go along with it as it comes. “As long as we have the basics,” she says with a laugh.

“Okay, so tell me about your family. I’m going to need names, you talk about them all the time,” Waverly tells her, still going along with the charade.

“I’m not sure if they’ll believe that,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“A little surprise factor,” Waverly says with a wink.

“Okay so there’s my parents, Richard and Maria Haught. They’re good parents, but a little overbearing. Like I’ve said before, they have a lot of opinions about what I do and don’t do,” she says with a sigh. Waverly gives her a sympathetic look. As she talks, the brunette listens intently, she can tell she’s actually interested in what she’s saying. 

“Do I call them Mr. and Mrs. Haught?” Waverly asks. “Actually, I will until they tell me otherwise,” she says, causing Nicole to laugh. “Okay, what about your siblings?” 

“There’s my older brother, Cody,” she says. “He’s married to Erin, for now,” she adds. She’s never really sure when they’re actually together or not. 

“For now?” Waverly asks. 

“They’re an...odd pair,” Nicole tries to explain. It’s something that’s easier to identity when it’s witnessed in person. “They have three kids,” she continues. “Bella, Lily and Ethan.” 

“I love kids,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“I’d hope so,” Nicole teases. “You are a teacher,” she adds with a laugh. The brunette laughs and agrees with her. “They’re good kids,” Nicole says. “They definitely make being home for the holidays more entertaining,” she laughs as she thinks about them. “Then there’s my younger sister, Hannah,” she continues.

“The doctor,” Waverly says. “Just got married?” she asks. 

Nicole smiles. “You were paying attention,” she says. 

“You want this story to work, right?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods. 

Right, the story. She wants the story to work. But something in her can’t stop thinking about the connection she feels with the brunette too. She just needs to remind herself it’s just a story. There’s no way Waverly, a small town, second grade teacher, who seems to have herself pretty put together, is going to be interested in anything more with her. 

“What else do you need to know?” Nicole asks. Waverly pauses and thinks for a moment. Nicole wonders what she’s thinking. She wonders how much Waverly wants to know about her. She wonders if she just wants to play this off for her parents or if she’s really interested in getting to know her better. “There’s one thing I should probably know about you though,” the redhead adds, breaking the silence. 

“What’s that?” Waverly asks.

“I don't even know your last name,” the redhead says. Waverly’s eyes widen as she breaks out into laughter for a moment before she speaks. 

“Earp,” she says. “It’s Waverly Earp,” she tells her with a smile. The smile that grows so big, it reaches her eyes. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love guys! I hope you all continue to enjoy this sappy, cheesy Christmas story ❤️

An Uber carrying Waverly and Nicole pulls up to the curb outside of a house, after picking them up from the train station in town. Waverly looks around her, through the window of the vehicle, taking notice of the decorations on the outside of the houses in the neighborhood. All of the houses definitely have more decorations than they put up at her aunt's house. Hell, most of the houses are probably double the size of her aunt’s house. 

The redhead sitting next to her opens the door and slides out of the car, stepping out onto the snow-covered curb. Waverly watches for a moment as the woman seems to be steadying herself so she doesn’t slip on the sidewalk. 

“It’s a little slick,” Nicole says to Waverly. Waverly nods at her with a smile, silently thanking her for the warning. The redhead holds the door open and her hand out as if she’s giving Waverly something to hold onto as she climbs out of the vehicle. 

Waverly smiles up at her and takes her hand to steady herself as she climbs out of the car. After retrieving their bags from the trunk, they thank the driver and turn toward the house. 

Waverly stops for a moment, taking in the sight of the house, finally in full view now that she isn’t in the backseat of a sedan. The sky is just dark enough for the lights to be on and illuminating from the outside of the house. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the redhead stop in her tracks and turn back toward her. “My dad takes pride in his decorations,” Nicole says, causing Waverly to turn her attention toward the redhead. 

“It looks beautiful,” Waverly tells her, offering her a smile. She takes a few steps forward, catching up to where Nicole is. 

“Ready?” Nicole asks. 

Waverly doesn’t respond at first, she just smiles and nods, nervously, back at her. In her head, she's unsure if she’ll ever be ready to meet a family that she never had any intentions of ever meeting. Everything she thought was going to happen in her day changed drastically when she walked into the airport bar earlier that day, and even more so when it was announced that she was no longer getting a flight home that day. 

Usually, Waverly is a very careful person. She’s careful about her choices in life. She’s careful about where she goes, who she spends her time with and almost always, she has a plan. It's really something she’s been trying to change about herself though, or at least loosen up a bit. She sees everyone else around her being spontaneous, or making decisions on the fly and it’s always been something she envied. 

Planning to be spontaneous isn’t really something that works out well, so that part has been a little difficult to conquer. That is until now. Now she felt like she had no other choice than to be spontaneous, take the offer to go home with someone she had just met at a bar in the airport of a city she’s never been to. 

She’s still having a bit of difficulty wrapping her head around this whole thing, but there’s something about the redhead who’s s currently watching her stand in front of her parents’ house. Thoughts race through her mind, and she assumes Nicole is most likely waiting for her to tell her she’s ready to go inside. 

“Let’s do this,” Waverly finally responds, letting out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. 

Nicole nods and heads for the front for, Waverly standing right next to her. The redhead offers her a soft smile before turning the door handle, slowly pushing it open. 

“Mom, Dad, I’m here!” Nicole calls out as they step inside together. 

Waverly looks around the entrance of the house a bit. It’s quiet at first. There’s a soft sound of Christmas music playing in the distance, the smell of food and candles fill her senses. Suddenly the sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor pull her attention forward as she sees a tall, slender man with bright red hair and a darker haired woman, slightly shorter than him, following closely behind. 

“Nicole, sweetheart, you made it!” The woman says, cheerfully. “We were afraid with the storm you wouldn’t get here tonight!”

“Well I did!” Nicole replies, a smile that Waverly can tell isn’t totally genuine plastered on her face. 

“Who’s your friend?” The man asks, quickly noticing Waverly standing awkwardly by the redhead’s side. 

“Mom, dad, this is Waverly, my,” Nicole begins. She looks over at the brunette, making eye contact and smiles. Waverly nods, returning the smile, indicating she’s prepared with the story. 

“Her girlfriend,” Waverly completes the sentence for her, turning her attention toward Nicole’s parents. She smiles softly at them. “It’s nice to meet you, Nicole has told me so much about you,” she lies. 

“Yes, my girlfriend,” Nicole says, nodding. Waverly senses nervousness pouring out of the redhead. She rests her hand on her lower back, hoping to calm her down a bit. 

“Girlfriend?!” Nicole’s mom asks. Her tone is a mix of confusion and excitement. “Nicole you never told us you had a… so happy to meet you, Waverly! What a beautiful name!” She continues. 

Waverly smiles and laughs softly. She gets a vibe from the woman similar to the one she got from Nicole upon first meeting her. She’s warm and inviting. 

“For a beautiful girl,” Nicole adds with a smile, turning her head toward Waverly. Waverly feels her cheeks blush as she looks up at Nicole giving her a smile and trying to get a read from her. She continues to feel the line between the story and reality blend from time to time. This was one of those times. 

“Come in, come in!” Nicole’s mom says, hands waving in the air, gesturing for the pair to come further into the house. Waverly drops her hand from Nicole’s back and picks up her bag that she had set on the floor next to her. 

“No one else here yet?” Nicole asks as they make their way further into the house. 

“Cody and family are having dinner with Erin’s parents tonight, so enjoy the quiet while you still can,” she says with a laugh.

Nicole gives Waverly a look that she reads as a slight warning. She’s not sure what she’s gotten herself into here, but it can’t be worse than teaching second grade just before the holidays. 

“What about princess, I mean, Hannah?” Nicole asks, receiving a warning look from her mother. Waverly watches the interaction between the pair. She can tell Nicole likes to poke fun at them when she can. 

“Your sister is working tonight,” her mom replies, clearing ignoring the ‘princess’ comment. “They’ll be by in the morning,” she says. 

“How about you two bring your bags up to your room, Nicole?” her father chimes in. “Dinner is almost ready!” He says as he turns toward what Waverly assumes is the kitchen. 

Nicole nods and gestures for the brunette to follow her up the stairs. As they walk, Nicole points out the different rooms upstairs before they enter the last room on the left at the end of the hallway. She watches as the redhead pushes the door open, setting her bags down on the floor, just inside the door. 

“My room,” she says as she gestures around a bit. “Hasn’t changed much since I lived here,” she says with a laugh. Waverly notices some basketball trophies on a shelf, a few photographs in frames on the dresser. “I’m not sure why they haven’t cleaned it out, it’s like a weird shrine of my high school years,” she says, cringing a bit. 

Waverly laughs and looks at the photos a little closer. She notices one of the redhead in a basketball uniform, looking as if she’s about to win the game at the buzzer. There’s a few more photos of her with some other people that Waverly obviously doesn’t recognize. She wonders for a moment what Nicole was like in high school. 

“You can put your bags anywhere,” Nicole says, breaking the silence in the room. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says, setting her bags down on the floor, leaning her guitar case up against one of the walls. “You seem nervous,” she says as she turns back toward the redhead who doesn’t seem to be focusing on anything in particular.

“What? Me? Nah,” Nicole says quickly, brushing off the comment. Waverly can’t help but laugh a little. 

“Are you worried about my acting skills?” She teases

Nicole shakes her head. “I guess I’m a little nervous that they’re going to like you better than me,” she says with a shrug. 

Waverly can sense that she’s being honest with her in this moment, feeling like she can tell the difference between this and when the redhead is just joking around. 

“Hey,” Waverly says, resting her hands on Nicole’s shoulders. When the redhead looks at her, she briefly gets lost in her soft, brown eyes. “At least we have each other, right?” 

“You can drop the act when we’re alone, you know,” Nicole reminds her. 

Waverly feels her stomach drop slightly, maybe the vibes she’s been getting from Nicole aren’t what she thought they might be. “Who says I’m acting?” Waverly teases, brushing away her insecurities. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the brunette. Waverly can’t help but notice the dimple on the redhead’s left cheek. “We should probably get downstairs for dinner,” Nicole says. 

“Right,” Waverly says, eyes following Nicole as she gestures toward the door. “Let’s go, babe,” she says gives her a wink. 

“Babe?” Nicole asks. “Are we doing nicknames now?” She laughs. 

“Sure, sweetie pie,” Waverly teases. “We want it to be believable, right?” She asks. 

“Believable, yes,” Nicole says. “That nickname? No.” 

Waverly can’t help but laugh at the seriousness of Nicole’s tone. “Honey bear?” She continues to think of other names to call her. 

“Absolutely not,” Nicole warns, pointing a finger at the brunette. 

“Pookie?” Waverly asks, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. 

“I’m going to return you to the airport,” Nicole warns. 

“Boo bear!” Waverly says, a little too enthusiastically. She tries not to laugh, keeping up the charade. Nicole gives her a warning look. “That’s the one for sure,” the brunette tells her with a wink. Nicole shakes her head, still not speaking. “You’re no fun,” Waverly huffs, playfully, as they make their way out of the bedroom. 

“This looks amazing,” Waverly says, looking over the food on the table, as she sits down in the chair that Nicole pulled out for her. “Thank you,” she says with a smile in Nicole’s direction, refraining from using any of the cute nicknames she was pitching to the redhead upstairs. She does have to admit, it’s a little fun to get a rise out of her though. 

Once she’s settled into seat, Nicole takes a seat at the table next to her. She thinks it’s sweet how the redhead took the time to pull her seat out for her before sitting down in her own chair. 

“Thank you for letting me crash here with absolutely no notice at all,” Waverly says to Nicole’s parents. She thinks for a moment how she’s grateful to be in the presence of someone she’s found a quick connection with, regardless of the circumstances. She’s grateful to not be stuck at the airport, unsure of when she would be able to catch another flight home. 

“Absolutely!” Nicole’s dad says, smiling at the brunette. “The more the merrier!” He tells her, passing some of the food down toward them to serve themselves. 

“So, Waverly, tell us about yourself,” Nicole’s mom says, just as Waverly takes a bite of her food. The brunette shifts her attention from her food to the woman sitting across the table from her. 

“She’s a teacher,” Nicole answers for her as she chews her food. 

“She has her own voice, Nicky,” Nicole’s father says, causing Nicole to cringe a little at the nickname. 

“I teach second grade,” Waverly tells them. 

“A teacher, that’s a nice stable career,” the man says. Waverly sees Nicole slump in her seat a little. She can see right away why Nicole isn’t too keen about spending time at home. While her parents are nice, they seem to take jabs at her whenever they can. 

“It has its perks,” Waverly says through a smile. “It’s a safe choice, but I enjoy it,” she adds, trying to lessen the tension. 

“Nothing wrong with playing it safe, right Nicole?” The man asks, grinning across the table at his daughter. 

“Okay, we don’t need to start this right off the bat, dad, I just got here,” Nicole groans. She sets her fork down on her plate as if she’s about to excuse herself from the table. 

“It’s Christmas, guys,” Nicole’s mom reminds them, giving her husband a warning look. 

“So where are you from, Waverly?” The woman asks. 

“A small town called Purgatory, pretty far north of here. I grew up living with my aunt. My sister and I, that is,” Waverly explains. 

“What does your sister do?” Nicole’s mom asks. 

“Currently, she’s traveling. She’s in Greece, maybe? She’s kind of a free spirit,” Waverly says. She always feels weird answering questions about her sister when she has no idea what she’s been up to the past few months. 

“Sounds like some people I know,” Nicole’s father says, looking up at Nicole again. He seems to be ignoring the warning looks he’s getting from his wife. 

“That’s not a bad trait to have,” Waverly says with a smile. She nudges Nicole lightly with her elbow. “Sometimes I wish I could be a little less… rigid,” she admits. 

“Having your head on straight isn’t a bad trait either,” the man says. 

“So, when did you say Cody and the kids are coming?” Nicole asks in attempts to change the subject. 

“And Erin,” her mom adds. 

“Right, and Erin,” Nicole corrects herself. 

“Sometime after dinner,” the woman reminds her. Nicole nods and takes another bite of food like she can’t find something else to say. 

The rest of dinner is spent talking casually amongst each other. Nicole’s dad makes a few more comments about her career choices, insinuating that she’s not very serious about her life choices. Waverly cringes at each comment, watching the redhead, who to her, appears confident, clearly become hurt. 

Nicole’s mom doesn’t make as many comments about it. She appears to be grateful Nicole made the effort to come home for the holidays and seems to just want to spend time with her family. Waverly tries to lighten the mood when she feels Nicole becoming uncomfortable with the conversation, receiving an appreciative smile from the redhead. 

******  
**

By the end of dinner, Nicole’s mom stands from her seat to clear the table. Waverly quickly follows suit, helping her being the dishes to the kitchen. 

“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to do that,” Nicole’s mom tells her as she takes the dishes from her hands. 

“It’s the least I could do,” Waverly says. “I really appreciate you guys letting me stay here,” she adds. Little does the woman know that earlier in the day, Waverly was a complete stranger in her daughter’s life and now she’s at her house, eating her food. 

“Honestly, I was surprised to see Nicky finally brought someone home with her,” the woman admits. “But I’m overjoyed to see her so happy,” she adds. 

Waverly can’t help but smile. Sure, she barely knows the woman, but she’s excited to her that she has even a small part in making her happy. “I’m sure you’ve met girlfriends of hers in the past,” Waverly says. 

“Nope,” the woman assures her. “You must be pretty special,” she says, giving the brunette a wink. 

_Something like that._

Suddenly, Waverly hears the front door of the house swing open and the sound of kids running through the house catches her attention. 

“Grandma!” A small child squeals as she leaps into the arms of Nicole’s mom, who is squatting down a little before picking the girl up. 

“There’s my babies!” The woman cheers with excitement. She turns toward the direction of the front door, carrying the little girl in her arms. Waverly follows behind her, finding Nicole in the entryway of the dining room, watching the interaction. 

“Hi, mom,” a tall, slender man with dirty blonde hair says, hugging his mother who is still holding his child. “Nicky!” He says as he turns toward the redhead. “So glad you made it!”

“Yeah, we heard flights were canceled all over the place,” a slightly shorter women with dark brown hair says. Waverly assumes that it’s Erin. 

“Not until after I landed, unfortunately,” Nicole says with a wink. “Uh, Cody, Erin, this is Waverly,” she introduces the brunette to her brother and sister in law. 

“Nicole’s girlfriend,” Waverly adds as she reaches out to shake their hands. 

“Oooh you have a girlfriend, auntie Nicole?” A voice comes from nearby. Waverly looks down to see a small girl with curtly, red hair grinning up at them. 

Nicole leans down and picks the child up, swinging her in the air slightly before holding her close to her body. 

“Shocking, I know,” she teases. “You have one yet?” She asks. 

“Nooo, I’m only five!” The girl says, holding out her hand showing her age. 

“Yeah, five is too young for relationships,” Nicole says with a wink. “Waverly, this is Lily, she's five,” she says to the brunette. 

“I’m a whole hand now!” Lily says, with excitement. She holds her hand, fingers open wide, out to Waverly. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Lily,” Waverly says with a smile. 

Nicole mom sets the other little girl down on the ground and Nicole’s eyes widen at the sight of her. “And this extremely tall little lady is Bella,” she says, placing her hand on the girl’s head. “When did you get so tall?”

“She’s grown like 4 Inches recently!” Cody says. “She’s going to be tall for sure.” 

“WNBA here we come!” Nicole teases. 

“I don’t do sports,” the little girl says. Nicole laughs at the comment, apologizing for assuming. 

“She’s more into theater,” Erin adds 

“Right up my alley,” Waverly says with a wink. “How old are you, Bella?” She asks. 

“I’m eight,” Bella answers. “And a half,” she adds, pointing a finger out in front of her. 

“The half is very important at this age,” Erin says, laughing. 

“Oh, I know,” Waverly says, knowingly. “I teach second grade, I’m very used to it,” she adds with a laugh. “And this little guy must be Ethan,” she says, leaning over a little to see a small boy with hair so blond that it is almost white clinging to the back of his father’s leg. 

The little boy peeks his face out a little further as Waverly squats down to his level. He stares her down for a moment and she offers him a soft smile. It doesn’t take long for a grin to grow on his face as he ducks back behind his father’s leg again. 

“He’s a little shy,” Cody says, placing his hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“That’s okay,” Waverly says, sweetly. 

She continues squatting for another moment before the boy pops his head back out to look at her. She gives him a surprised look as if she didn’t see him there and laughter bubbles out of him. He tucks his head back again, popping it back out quickly to see Waverly, repeating this over and over for a few minutes as more laughter pours out of him. Waverly begins to laugh as the boy finally makes his way out from behind his father. 

As Waverly stands back up, she sees Nicole’s eyes on her and a big smile on her face. She feels her cheeks become warm, realizing she was lost in the moment, playing with Nicole’s nephew, forgetting that none of this is actually real. She rubs her face with her hand, suddenly feeling warm, as she steps back a little. 

“You okay?” Nicole asks, quietly, placing her hand on Waverly’s forearm. Waverly quickly nods, not wanting her to worry. 

Nicole gives her a look, indicating that she doesn’t quite believe her but their moment is quickly broken by Nicole’s mom offering to put on a movie for the kids before bed. The kids all cheer and yell movie titles at their grandmother as they follow her into the other room. 

“Who’s up for cards?” Cody asks the remaining adults in the room. Waverly quickly agrees and turns back toward Nicole who’s nodding in agreement as well. 

“Drinks anyone?” Erin asks, holding up a bottle of liquor that Waverly didn’t realize she was holding. 

“Sounds good!” Waverly says quickly, hoping a drink with help her relax a little and stop thinking so much into everything. 

“Make that two,” Nicole says with a smile, receiving a wink from her sister in law. Waverly notices the redhead shake her head at the other woman as she turns toward the kitchen. 

“I’ll get the cards,” Cody says, ducking out of the room quickly. 

Waverly nods and heads toward the table, but is stopped in her tracks by the redhead’s hand on her arm again. “Hey, wait,” Nicole says. Waverly turns back toward the redhead. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, just tired,” Waverly sighs. “It’s been a long day, you know?” 

“I know, I just want to make sure you’re not overwhelmed. If this is too much we can…” she trails off, gesturing behind her. 

“Nicole, it’s fine,” Waverly assures her. She rests her hand on the redhead’s shoulder, lightly brushing her thumb against her sweater. “Like I said, I’m just tired,” she says with a smile. 

“We don’t have to play cards,” Nicole continues. “We can go to bed, I mean, we can go upstairs and sleep,” the redhead stutters a little. 

Waverly smiles at how sweet and understanding Nicole’s being. She also finds her sudden nervousness of the idea of going to bed together adorable. 

“I’ll let you know,” Waverly assures her, nudging her with her elbow. “Ready for cards?” Nicole nods and follows her toward the table. 

As they night goes on, Waverly learns that not only did Nicole play basketball in high school, but she was the team captain and MVP most years throughout her high school career. Erin also played on the team with her and throughout the night gives a vibe that there was more than just a friendship between the two of them in high school. She doesn’t bring it up during the game though, but she does make a mental note to ask about that later. 

Nicole seems less and less embarrassed as the stories continue about what life was like growing up in her family. Waverly laughs as she and her brother go back and forth about times they had as kids. She feels a bit of jealousy brewing in the pit of her stomach as she thinks about her own sister. Part of her wishes she was able to sit around a table with her, telling stories of their childhood, regardless of how embarrassing the stories might be.

“So tell us about how you guys met,” Erin asks the question Waverly has been waiting for. She hopes she can remember the story well enough now that the drinks have been flowing. 

“We met at an airport bar,” Waverly begins to tell the story that they rehearsed on the train. “I bought her a drink, she looked lonely,” she says. 

She thinks about the first moment she saw the redhead. She was standing by the flight screens for what seemed like the hundredth time, waiting for some indication that she was going to make it home for Christmas. Her flight had been delayed for a bit and she was beginning to lose hope. **  
  
**

_The airport is loaded with people, which isn’t a surprise to Waverly since it is two days before Christmas. When her flight landed, the first thing she received was a text notification from the airlines indicating that her next flight, her last flight, the flight that would finally take her back home, was delayed._

_Waverly prides herself on being a fairly patient person, but today, all she wants to do is get back home. Not that being home is going to be that exciting either. She’s sure her sister is about to be a no show again and her aunt will probably be working at the bar until late on Christmas Eve. She sees herself sitting on the couch, by herself, watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ with a large mug of homemade hot chocolate. It’s not the worst image of Christmas Eve she can imagine, but sometimes she wishes for something different._

_As she stands in front of the departure screen, hoping for the red letters displaying ‘delayed’ next to her flight change to ‘on time’, she watches as other people clearly doing the same thing, looks of disappointment plastered on their faces. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a tall, red headed woman who looks like she is in her own world. She looks deep in thought and Waverly immediately wonders what she is thinking about._

_Something in her draws her to this woman. The way her bright red hair, that’s tucked beneath a blue beanie, seems to shine bright under the fluorescent airport lights. The way she seems to notice other people around her, but appears to be lost in her own thoughts as well._

_She notices as her long legs carry her quickly across the airport, unsure of her destination until she sees her heading toward a bar that’s located in the middle of the airport. The bar is pretty open and she has a clear view right inside. There are a few tables surrounding the area, but she sees the woman drop her bag on the floor next to an empty barstool as she slides her body onto the hard wood surface of the stool._

_Waverly doesn’t realize at first, but while lost in her thoughts, her feet have somehow brought her toward the bar as if they wanted her to get a closer look. She sees a man a couple of seats down from the woman begin to talk to her, but she doesn’t seem interested. She wonders what he says to her that makes her slide her foot into the strap of her bag that’s sitting on the floor next to her._

_Waverly continues to watch as the redhead bites her lip, glancing over a drink menu in front of her. She feels herself wondering more and more about the woman. Who is she? Where did she come from? Where is she headed? What does she smell like?_

_She quickly shakes her head, rubbing her face with her hand, silently scolding herself for the last thought. She wonders what came over her and why her mind is acting so crazy. She watches as the redhead attempts to gain the attention of the busy bartender, who is running back and forth between the several bar patrons._

_She sees the seat next to the woman is still empty. She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly, gaining the courage to go say ‘hello'. Before she knows it, her feet are carrying her inside the bar. Before someone else can take the seat and ruin her shot, she quickly moves to the empty seat, sliding herself up onto the barstool._

_She waits for a moment before the bartender makes her way in their direction. Unsure of what to say to break the ice with the redhead, the bartender asks her what she wants to drink. The perfect opportunity pops into her head._

_“Peppermint martini, please,” she says to the bartender. Nicole finally looks up at the woman’s face. She turns to the woman sitting next to her, offering her a warm smile. The woman smiles back at her. “And whatever she’s having,” the brunette adds, gesturing toward the redhead._

“It was really sweet,” Nicole’s voice breaks Waverly from her thoughts. She shifts and turns her attention back toward Nicole, becoming focused on the present again. “I thought she was cute,” the redhead adds, smiling at Waverly. 

“Just cute?” Waverly teases, bringing herself back into thinking about keeping up the story with Nicole. 

“Okay, I thought she was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Nicole says, dimple showing through her smile. Waverly looks a little closer at her, unsure if she’s still going along with the story or if she’s being genuine. She internally kicks herself for trying to think further into thing than she really should. 

“She thought I was trying to rob her,” Waverly adds. She still thinks that’s funny. 

“That was a total misunderstanding, and yet it still comes up,” Nicole grits her teeth a bit, giving the brunette a warning look. Waverly grins back at her.

“I thought that was cute,” Waverly tells her, causing Nicole’s face to soften, receiving a smile back from her. 

“You two are definitely adorable,” Erin says. Waverly turns her attention toward her, noticing she’s smiling at the pair. She turns her head back toward the redhead, who is still looking at her with a smile on her face. Waverly reaches over, taking Nicole’s hand in her own. She’s a little surprised when Nicole opens her hand, allowing the brunette to lace her fingers between her own. 

“So, was it love at first sight?” Erin asks. Waverly laughs a little at how invested the woman seems to be about their ‘love’ story. 

“Oh, come on Erin, you really believe someone can fall in love at first sight?” Cody asks his wife. 

“Are you telling me you didn’t love me the first time you saw me?” The woman challenges him. 

“You were in like 6th grade the first time I saw you!” Cody argues. 

“Okay, fair,” Erin says. Waverly can’t help but laugh at the banter between the pair. 

“Besides, you were my little sister’s teammate,” he adds. “I didn’t think of you like that back then,” he tells her. 

“Those were the good old days, huh, Erin?” Nicole asks. Waverly catches Nicole shoot the woman a quick wink, receiving a warning look from her. Nicole laughs and takes a sip of her drink. 

“Anyway, what about you guys?” Erin asks, clearly trying to redirect the conversation back to them. 

Waverly pauses for a moment before she answers. She looks at the redhead sitting next to her. She thinks about the fact that they just met earlier that day. She thinks about how she feels like she’s known her longer than she has. She thinks about how after these couple of days, she’s not even sure if she’ll ever see her again. 

“I didn’t think I ever believed in love at first sight before,” Waverly finally says. “I definitely never felt it, but when I first met her, I knew instantly in my heart that she was going to mean something to me,” she says, squeezing Nicole’s hand a little. 

“Wow, Nicky, keep this one,” Cody says, with a laugh, gesturing toward Waverly. Nicole laughs and nods at her brother. Waverly continues looking over at Nicole. She watches as the redhead turns toward her and smiles softly at her. 

Cody deals out another round of cards and they continue playing until the sound of little footsteps cause them to shift their attention out of the room. Waverly looks up to see Nicole’s nieces, peaking their little faces into the room. 

“Movie over?” Erin asks, bringing her attention toward her daughters. 

“Yeah,” Bella tells her as she enters the room. 

“You know what that means?” Cody asks her. His daughter makes her way over to him, shaking her head. “Bed time!” the man cheers, receiving a whine from his oldest daughter. 

Waverly laughs as the girl pouts about going to bed. In her own head, the idea of sleep sounds great right about now. She watches as the youngest Haught makes her way over to Nicole, climbing into her lap. Nicole lets go of Waverly’s hand to wrap her around the little girl.

Nicole stands from the table, her niece still in her arms, as her brother does the same, leading his eldest daughter toward the stairs. Erin makes her way into the living room to find her son, who they assume fell asleep along with Nicole and Cody’s mother while watching the movie.

Waverly follows Nicole as she makes her way up the stairs, carrying her niece in her arms. Nicole tells her she’ll meet her in the room in a minute while she puts the little girl in her bed. Lily refuses to go to bed without giving Waverly a hug. The brunette laughs and holds her arms out to the little girl. Without leaving Nicole’s arms, the small child wraps her arms around Waverly’s neck, pulling her closer to her as well as Nicole. Waverly realizes her face is now pretty close to the redhead and she sees her smile as their cheeks brush lightly before she pulls away from the hug when she feels the girl’s arms loosen from her neck. 

Waverly says ‘goodnight’ and makes her way down the hall, into Nicole’s room. She digs out some clothes to change into, leaving the room to find the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. After changing, she makes her way back into the hallway to find Nicole exiting the room down the hall. When they enter Nicole’s room together, the redhead makes her way over to the bed, grabbing one of the pillows. “I’ll take the floor,” the redhead says, reaching for a blanket that’s draped over a nearby chair. 

“Don’t be silly,” Waverly says with a laugh. “You gave me a free place to stay, I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor at your own family’s house!” 

She sees Nicole stop for a moment. She turns back toward the bed and tosses the pillow back on the bed. Waverly laughs at the sight of the girl giving up so easily. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says with a smile. “I know, today’s been a bit crazy, but I do want to thank you again for going along with all of this,” she adds, pulling out clothes from her bag to change into. 

“Honestly, I thought it was crazy at first, I mean, it still kind of is, but it’s also pretty exciting and way out of my element. But in a good way,” Waverly admits. 

“I hope you still feel that way tomorrow when the rest of my siblings come,” Nicole laughs. “You sure there’s no flights tomorrow?” she asks.

“You trying to get rid of me?” Waverly teases, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. 

“No!” Nicole says quickly. “I mean, no that’s not what I meant,” she says, a little more calmly this time. 

“I’m just teasing you. Your family is fun,” Waverly assures her. Honestly, she’s having more fun here than she probably would at home. “Your dad is pretty hard on you though,” she adds, unsure if Nicole really wants to talk about it. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, softly, turning away from the brunette a little. “Thanks for sticking up for me,” she says with a smile as she turns her head back toward Waverly.

“You don’t deserve to be talked to like that by anyone,” Waverly tells her. “One thing I really liked about you when we first met was how passionate you are about things you love, you have this spark inside of you that lights up when you’re talking about photography and no one should try to put that out.”

A huge grin grows across the redhead’s face. “Thank you, that means a lot to me. And what you said to my brother and sister in law, that was very sweet,” Nicole says. “You play this game pretty well,” she laughs. 

“Yeah, well, you know,” Waverly stutters a bit. 

“Gotta stick to the story,” Nicole teases. 

“Um, yeah,” Waverly says. “The story.” 

There’s a knock at the door and Waverly lets out an audible sigh, saving her from having to continue talking, afraid she’s about to say too much.

“Come in!” Nicole calls out, turning her attention toward the door. The door swings open and Nicole’s brother peeks his head inside the room. 

“Sorry to bother you, but Lily requests a bedtime story to be read by you, Nicole,” the man tells her. He gives her a hopeful smile. 

Nicole looks back at Waverly. “Sorry, do you mind if I go do that real quick?” she asks. 

Waverly nods in response as the redhead turns on her heels and heads toward the door. Waverly sits down on the end of the bed. She feels a little weird being in the room alone for the first time since she’s been to the house. Part of her forgot this wasn’t part of her original travel plans that morning. 

From down the hallway, she hears giggling coming from one of the other rooms and stands, quietly making her way toward the room. Not wanting to intrude, she stands in the doorway, watching the redhead as she reads a book to her nieces. She can’t help but smile to herself at the sight of the woman reading a story to the little girls. 

She laughs to herself as she hears the redhead use different voices for each character in the story, causing her nieces to giggle as well. Waverly tries to stay quiet, not wanting to disturb the scene happening in the room.

As Nicole finishes the story, she says ‘goodnight’ to the girls before standing from the chair between the beds and turning toward the door. The redhead stops in her tracks when she sees Waverly hanging out by the door. Waverly can’t help but smile. 

“Were you there the whole time?” Nicoke asks, almost in a whisper as she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. 

“Maybe,” Waverly teases. “That was really adorable, I couldn’t help myself,” she tells her as they make their way back down to Nicole’s old room.

Nicole bites her lip as she blushes at the comment. Waverly thinks it’s cute to see this side of the redhead with her family. When she first met her, she was so worried about disappointing them, but she sees the way she is with the kids, like she could never be a disappointment to them. 

“They’re sweet kids,” Nicole says as she makes her way into the room, closing the door behind them. “They make being here a lot easier.” 

“You know what’s funny?” Waverly asks as she sits down on the bed. Nicole pulls the blankets back, gesturing for her to make herself comfortable. Waverly smiles and slides further into the bed. “This morning I woke up assuming I’d be back home with my aunt by now. She’d probably be at the bar she owns, but I never expected to be anywhere else. I thought I’d be sitting around the house, wondering whether or not my sister would make an appearance this year. Listening to my aunt make up yet another excuse for her,” she says. 

Nicole climbs into the bed next to her, respectfully leaving space between the pair as she lays back on the pillow behind her. 

“I’d spend a quiet Christmas, which I don’t mind, but sometimes I also wished something more exciting would happen,” Waverly admits as she continues speaking. 

“Maybe this is your something more exciting,” Nicole suggests as she rolls over onto her side, facing Waverly. 

“Maybe,” Waverly says with a smile. “By now I'd be running out of excuses as to why I can’t keep going on dates with the town’s rodeo star and-”

“Rodeo star?!” Nicole cuts her off, snorting out a laugh. 

“It’s a small town,” Waverly says with a shrug and a small laugh. 

“That sounds exciting,” Nicole says, raising an eyebrow at the brunette, tone oozing with sarcasm. 

“He’s kind of a douche,” Waverly admits as she thinks about how every time she does go out with him, she questions herself afterwards. 

“Then why date him?” Nicole asks. Her tone is less sarcastic and more like she genuinely cares about the decisions Waverly makes. 

“Like I said, it’s a small town, not a lot of options,” Waverly explains. She thinks about how she really has to get out more often. 

“And now you’re in a strange town you’ve never been to, with a family you’ve never met, with a girl you barely know, who’s parents think you’re dating her,” the redhead laughs as the words come out of her mouth. 

“And oddly enough, she’s definitely the better choice,” Waverly says with a wink. 

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or if it’s not really a competition,” Nicole retorts. 

“Both,” Waverly says with a laugh. “I’m sure anyone would be lucky to go out with you, for real that is,” she adds. 

“Thanks, Waverly,” Nicole says with a smile. “You know, I thought I was insane for offering to bring a stranger home with me today, but it’s not so bad.”

“Ouch, you should probably work on your compliments, Haught,” Waverly warns. 

“I just mean it’s funny how the world has a way of surprising us sometimes,” Nicole says. 

“That’s for sure,” Waverly says with a laugh. “So, tell me, what’s up with your sister in law?” She finally asks the question she’s been wondering all night. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. 

“You two were pretty close in high school, huh?” Waverly asks, insinuating she assumes there’s something more there. 

“We were friends,” Nicole tells her. “And possibly with a few benefits for a while there,” she cringes a little as she admits this information. “But my brother doesn’t know that!” She says quickly. 

“Secret’s safe with me,” Waverly says with a wink. 

The room falls quiet for a moment. Waverly can’t help but stare at the woman lying next to her. She does have to admit, it’s the first time she’s ever gotten into bed with a stranger, regardless of the context, but there’s something comfortable about the redhead laying next to her. The thoughts in her head race between everything she’s been feeling today and trying to actually be rational about the situation. She tries to push the thoughts from her mind, relaxing to the sound of Nicole’s steady breathing, eventually surrendering to sleep. 

  
  


When Waverly wakes up the next morning she slowly opens her eyes, realizing the redhead’s arm is draped over her side. She feels Nicole’s body fairly close to her from behind and part of her wants to scoot closer to her. Something about her feels safe in the redhead’s arms and they definitely fit together in a way that she’s never felt with anyone else before. She tries not to move, in fear that the moment will end, but she realizes that she really has to use the bathroom. 

As she shifts slightly, trying not to wake Nicole up, she feels the redhead roll over onto her back. She immediately misses the warmth of the contact and wishes she could just crawl back into her strong arms. She slowly slides out of the bed, hoping Nicole is still there when she returns.

She stands in front of the bathroom mirror, giving herself a quick once over. Her hair is a bit of a frazzled mess like she was tossing and turning more than she realizes. She uses her hands to try to smooth it over a bit. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes and checks for morning breath, realizing she should probably brush her teeth before returning to the bed. 

After finishing up in the bathroom, she makes her way back into the bedroom. She closes the door quietly behind her and slides back into the bed. She can’t help but stare at the redhead as she continues to sleep. A smile grows on her face at the sight and she quietly tries to push the thoughts of wanting to kiss her lips out of her head. 

_You barely know this girl, Waverly. You went home with a stranger. This is completely crazy._

She starts talking to herself in her head.

_But she is really sweet. She seems really genuine. She’s been more open with you than people you’ve known for a long time. You’ve felt more comfortable with her than anyone you’ve ever dated before._

_Not that you’re dating. You’re not actually dating. You’re fake dating. Man, there’s no way this is going to end well._

She lets out an audible sigh, rubbing her face with her hand. 

“Are you watching me sleep?” The groggy voice of Nicole breaks Waverly from her thoughts. 

“No,” she lies. 

Nicole squints her eyes open and rubs her face with her hand. “You sure?” She teases, rolling toward the brunette who is now propping herself up on her elbow, facing the redhead as well. 

“I was just-” Waverly searches for some sort of excuse to make her seem a little less creepy. 

“I’m just kidding, Earp,” Nicole says with a wink. “How did you sleep?” She asks. 

“Pretty good, considering that you snore,” Waverly teases. She can’t help but laugh at the redhead dramatically becoming offended by her comment. 

“I do not snore!” Nicole says with an audible gasp. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at the woman. “You do,” she informs her. “But I didn’t actually mind. I slept really well.” 

“You’re an early riser, aren’t you?” The redhead asks. Suddenly a big yawn takes over her as she reaches her arms above her head to stretch. 

“Most days,” Waverly says. “I don’t like wasting the day in bed,” she tells her. 

“Me neither,” Nicole admits. “I mean, unless I have a good reason for it,” she says with a shrug. 

Waverly pauses for a moment at the comment, her mind racing with so many things she could say back to her right now. She sees the redhead smirking back at her, noticing she’s become increasingly more flirty the more time they spend together. Waverly laughs and takes her pillow from under her head, covering Nicole’s face with it. 

“Hey!” Nicole whines, pulling the pillow off of her face, hitting Waverly in the side with it. Waverly gasps, dramatically pointing a warning finger at the redhead. “What are you gonna do about it?” Nicole teases. 

Waverly rolls on her side, not realizing how close she is to the redhead. Nicole turns to face her and pauses for a moment, neither one speaking. She tries to keep a straight face, thinking of a comeback to Nicole’s question, but she can’t. Instead, she finds herself lost in the brown eyes staring back at her. She sees the dimple on the redhead’s cheek peeking out just slightly, but enough for her to notice. 

“Oh man, did you brush your teeth?” Nicole asks, quickly covering her own mouth with her hand. “I probably have morning breath,” she huffs, rolling back onto her back. 

“A little, Waverly teases, receiving a glare from the redhead. “I’m just kidding,” she says, playfully pushing her arm. 

Suddenly the door flies open and the sound of little feet against the floor causes the pair to turn their attention away from each other. 

“I told you to knock first!” Erin’s voice calls down the hallway. 

“It’s okay!” Nicole calls back, laughing. 

Waverly is bummed that the moment is over, but suddenly being bombarded by adorable faces really isn’t so bad. She laughs as she watches Lily and Ethan jump up onto the bed with them. 

“Good morning!” Lily squeals. She wraps her arms around Waverly’s neck, melting her heart. 

“Let her breathe!” Nicole says with a laugh as she tries to pull the small child from Waverly’s neck.

“It’s okay,” Waverly assures her as she happily hugs the small redhead back. “What are you guys up to this morning?” 

“Not sleeping in like I wanted,” Bella’s voice comes from the doorway, she’s clearly annoyed. 

“Oh, please, tomorrow you’ll be running around like the rest of them,” Nicole teases. 

“You forget that I’m not seven anymore,” the girls says to her aunt, causing her to laugh. 

“Ohh,” Nicole says, putting her hands up in front of her. “My bad,” she teases. “I guess someone doesn’t want Christmas presents either then.” 

“Wait a minute!” Bella says, quickly. “No one said anything about not wanting presents!” 

Waverly laughs at the sass coming from the girl in the doorway. She can breathe a little easier when Lily finally lets her neck go, giving her a little more space on the bed. 

“We want to build a snowman!” Lily exclaims as her brother nods in agreement. “Will you guys help?” 

“Can we maybe eat some breakfast first?” Nicole gives the girl a proposition. 

“Grandma says she’s making waffles,” Bella tells them. The kids on the bed let out a cheer, causing Nicole and Waverly to break out into laughter. 

“Any way I can take a shower before breakfast?” Waverly asks Nicole in a hushed tone. She never fully feels ready for the day without a shower. Nicole nods quickly. 

“Want me to, uh,” Nicole says, gesturing toward the door of the bedroom. “Show you how it works?” She finishes her question. Waverly notices the redhead bite her lip as she waits for her response. 

“That would be great,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“Okay,” Nicole says. “Everyone off of the pretty lady,” she calls out to her niece and nephew, gesturing for them to allow Waverly to get out of the bed. Waverly feels her cheeks grow warm at the compliment, receiving a wink from the redhead. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says as the kids climb off of the bed. 

“Will you sit next to me at breakfast?” Lily asks as she turns toward Waverly before she makes her way to the bedroom door. 

“Of course,” Waverly tells the little girl with a wink. Lily cheers again before leaving the room with her siblings. Waverly laughs and climbs out of the bed, finding clothes in her bag. When she’s ready, she follows the redhead into the bathroom. Nicole shows her where the towels are and explains to her how the shower works.

“Do you need anything else?” The redhead asks before she turns toward the bathroom door to leave. 

“Nope,” Waverly says with a smile. “Thank you, I won’t be long,” she assures her, resting a hand on her shoulder for a moment. 

“Take your time,” the redhead says, offering her a warm smile before making her way out of the bathroom. She closes the door behind her, leaving the brunette alone to shower. 


	3. Chapter 3

When Nicole makes her way down the stairs, she can hear the sound of the kids playing in the other room and the sound of her brother and her father talking about cars or something along those lines. Christmas music already plays throughout the house, something her mother is known for. 

As she passes the living room, she sees Erin, sitting on the couch reading a book. She says, “good morning” to the woman, receiving a smile and a ‘good morning’ in return. She makes her way into the kitchen, finding her mother mixing batter in a bowl. 

“Need help?” She asks as she makes her way further into the room. 

“Feel like cutting fruit?” Her mother asks, glancing behind her for a moment. 

“Absolutely!” Nicole says, a little too enthusiastically. She has to admit, being home alone was something she wasn’t looking forward to at all. She feared the questions and the judgements, which still exists, but there’s something about being there with someone else that makes it all a little easier. Sure, she’s only known Waverly for a day now, but there’s something about the woman that makes her feel like they’ve known each other forever. 

Her mother gestures toward the fridge and Nicole makes her way in that direction, opening the door to find various fruits on the shelf. She pulls out a cutting board and a knife and sets up shop on the counter opposite of where her mother is.

“So where’s that beautiful girl of yours?” Her mother asks, not looking up from what she is doing. 

“Shower,” Nicole answers simply. She’s not sure how much of the story she wants to try to keep up without Waverly present. 

“She seems really great,” her mother continues. Nicole lets out a small sigh. She assumes her mother is going to continue talking about her. 

“She really is,” Nicole says. She’s not lying. Waverly seems like she really is a good person. She’s always been a pretty good judge of character and it would really surprise her if Waverly were to prove her wrong. 

“You seem really happy with her,” her mother continues. 

Nicole is unsure where this conversation is going, but continues cautiously. “I am,” she says. It’s not a lie, she hasn’t felt a connection like this with someone in a long time, if ever. “She’s incredibly kind and understanding even in the strangest situations,” she continues. “And braver and more adventurous than she thinks.” 

“Sounds like someone is in love,” her mother coos at her in a teasing tone. Nicole laughs and looks up at her mother who is raising her eyebrows up and down at her. She shakes her head at the woman. “So are you going to ask her to marry you?” She asks.

Nicole’s eyes widen at the question and she starts to cough, coming up with something to say. She should have seen it coming. It’s not like she brings girls home often, so her parents are probably easily convinced that this must be the one. How can she be the one if she hasn’t even known her for 24 hours?

“Uh,” Nicole stutters, still unsure of what to say. 

“Who’s getting married?!” A voice echoes into the kitchen. 

Nicole lets out an audible sigh at the break in the tension of the moment. She turns her attention toward the doorway of the kitchen to see her younger sister with a huge smile plastered on her face. She’s immediately overwhelmed at the thought that her sister is finally here to put all the attention on herself, but at the same time, she’s relieved that the attention will no longer be on her. 

“No one,” Nicole says quickly in attempts to shut that conversation down before it happens. 

“Well, I did hear you have a hot new girlfriend!” Her sister says, way too cheery for this early in the morning. 

Nicole shakes her head at her sister as the woman makes her way further into the kitchen, throwing her arms around Nicole, pulling her into a hug. 

“Something like that,” Nicole says with a laugh as she hugs her back. “Hey, Hannah.” 

She pulls away from the hug to see her brother in law over her sister’s shoulder. Nicole gives him a soft smile as she opens her arms to hug the man. 

“Sorry about her,” he says with a laugh as he hugs the redhead. “She’s already had coffee this morning,” he informs her. 

“Isn’t that frowned upon for people in your condition?” Nicole teases, poking her sister in the stomach. 

“First of all,” Hannah says, her tone suddenly full of sass. “Being pregnant isn’t a condition,” she says using air quotes around the word ‘condition.’ “And second of all, you’re not a doctor,” she huffs.

“Oh, right, my bad,” Nicole says, sarcastically. 

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Their mother asks, placing her hand over Hannah’s stomach. This is the first time Nicole is seeing her sister pregnant, and while she’s barely showing, she definitely sees a difference. 

“Great, actually!” Hannah tells her. 

“Auntie Hannah!” the voices of small children fill the air as Hannah is surrounded. Nicole takes a step back, returning to her task of cutting fruit. 

It’s not much longer before Waverly makes her presence in the kitchen with the rest of Nicole’s family. Nicole is facing the counter when she feels the brunette place her hand on her back, letting her know she’s there. A smile grows on her face as the hand lingers like it’s something she’s always done. 

Nicole turns around, leaning up against the counter, making immediate eye contact with the brunette. Waverly doesn’t back up much, leaving little space between her and Nicole. 

“Hey,” Nicole says, placing her hand gently on Waverly’s hip. “How was your shower?” 

“Amazing,” Waverly says. “Exactly what I needed,” she tells her. 

“Good,” Nicole says with a smile. Something comes over her in the moment, suddenly feeling like everyone around them has disappeared. Now that the brunette is near her again, she realizes that she actually missed her when she wasn’t around her.

A smile grows on Waverly’s face, her eyes crinkle slightly, causing Nicole’s heart to beat a little faster. “You gonna introduce me?” Waverly asks, gesturing over her shoulder toward toward Nicole’s sister and brother in law. 

“What? Oh. Yeah,” Nicole says, shaking her head slightly and dropping her hand from Waverly’s side. “Hannah, Jack, this is my girlfriend, Waverly.” The word ‘girlfriend’ seems to come out more naturally now. She’s beginning to really like the sound of it. 

“Wow, Nicky!” Hannah spits out with excitement. Nicole cringes at the sight of her sister looking the brunette up and down. “Cody was right!” 

“Hannah,” Nicole says in a warning tone. Waverly laughs and reaches her hand out to shake Hannah’s. 

Hannah shakes her head and pulls the brunette in for a hug. “We’re all family here!” The woman says, cheerfully. 

“Apparently she’s high on caffeine today,” Nicole informs Waverly, causing the brunette to laugh. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Waverly says, politely. 

“Waverly!” Lily calls out from across the room. Nicole watches as Waverly turns toward the Lily, bending down to lift her into the air as the little girl comes running toward her. 

“Man, I think she likes you more than me,” Nicole teases. 

“She’s new,” Nicole’s mom says with a laugh. 

“Will you play a game with us?” Lily asks Waverly as she starts to play with her hair. 

Waverly laughs and looks back at Nicole. “Can Nicole join us?” She asks. Lily nods and reaches a hand out to Nicole. Nicole laughs and takes the little girl’s hand, quickly being pulled closer to her and Waverly. 

“How about we have breakfast first then we can go outside and build that snowman like you wanted,” Nicole suggests. The little girl nods and smiles at her aunt, leaping out of Waverly’s arms toward Nicole. Nicole feels her little arms around her neck and quickly pulls her close to her body. “Okay, monkey, let's find a seat at the table,” Nicole laughs. 

“Next to Waverly!” Lily cheers, pulling Waverly by the hand. 

“Of course,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

Breakfast is spent with Hannah and Jack telling stories of their honeymoon in Europe as Nicole assumed it would be. She finds herself only half listening, paying more attention to Waverly interacting with her niece. There’s something so sweet about the way her nieces and her nephew have taken a liking to the brunette and vice versa. 

The conversation then shifts to Hannah taking more about her pregnancy and Nicole finds anything else to focus on, knowing that this isn’t the only time this trip she will hear these same stories. She notices the kids becoming restless at the table and suggests she and Waverly take them outside to play. 

The kids quickly agree and jump up from their spots at the table. “Bundle up!” Erin calls after them. “It’s cold outside!” 

“We will, thanks mom,” Nicole teases, giving the woman a wink. The woman shakes her head at the redhead before Nicole collects their dishes from the table. She clears the plates and places them in the sink before turning to find Waverly and the kids. 

“Apparently we’re building a snow fort too,” Waverly tells Nicole as she stops in the doorway next to the brunette. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asks, raising an eyebrow toward the kids. She laughs when she sees Bella nodding her head. 

“And a snowball fight!” Lily adds, pumping her fist into the air. 

“Man, is this going to be an all day event?” Nicole teases. She laughs when she sees her youngest niece nod her head and give her a thumbs up. 

“Hey,” Bella says, suddenly. “You two know what you’re standing under, right?” She asks with a grin on her face, pointing above them. Nicole and Waverly look up simultaneously to see a small sprig of mistletoe hanging in the doorway over them. 

Nicole internally panics as she looks back at the brunette. “Oh,” she laughs, nervously. “We don’t really, you know,” she stutters, continuing to look at the brunette, who’s now laughing at her a little. “Not in front of people,” she tells her niece, hoping she’ll move past the idea of them kissing under the mistletoe. 

When Waverly takes a step closer to her, placing her hand gently on her arm, Nicole feels her brain short circuit for a moment. “It’s tradition, right?” Waverly asks with a shrug. 

Nicole’s eyes widen as she nods quickly, still oozing with nervousness. She doesn’t want the brunette to feel obligated, but at the same time, she can’t help but place her hand on her lower back. She feels Waverly’s body press flush against her and she swallows hard, making eye contact with the brunette as her hand gently glides across Nicole’s cheek, fingers curling around the back of her neck. 

Nicole licks her lips before she feels the brunette push up slightly, leaning in toward her. The moment their lips touch, Nicole feels sparks of electricity coursing through her veins. Waverly’s lips are soft against hers and they feel like they belong. She grasps at the material of the brunette’s shirt as if she’s afraid she’s about to back away, leaving her with a feeling of absence and a fear that things will never feel this right again. 

The kiss doesn’t deepen much, but continues for a few moments before Nicole remembers where they are, in her parents’ home with her family. She slowly pulls away, but not before Waverly presses a few more quick kisses against her lips. 

When they pull fully away from each other, the space between them is still minimal. She sees a smile on Waverly’s face as the brunette presses her forehead against Nicole’s. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Nicole says, almost in a whisper. 

“I know, but I’ve been wanting to,” Waverly says, boldly. 

“Wait, really?” Nicole asks, lifting her head a bit to see more of the brunette’s face. She bites her lip, waiting for a response. 

Waverly nods. “Every time you bite your bottom lip, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss that lip,” the brunette admits with a grin. 

“I don’t bite my lip,” Nicole huffs, licking her lips quickly. 

“You do, you were just doing it,” Waverly says. She gently brushes her thumb against the redhead’s lower lip. “Right here,” she says in almost a whisper. “You seem to do it when you’re really concentrating on something.” 

“And what am I concentrating on?” Nicole asks as Waverly’s thumb still lingers against her lip. She leans into her touch a little more, lightly kissing the brunette’s thumb. 

“Probably a way to be right about this conversation,” Waverly teases. Nicole huffs again, but grins back at Waverly as the brunette drops her hand from her mouth. Nicole bites her lip again, but quickly stops when she realizes this time that she’s doing it. 

“So what was it like then?” Nicole asks. She leans back in toward Waverly, feeling her do the same. Smiles growing the closer they get. 

“Get a room you two!” Cody’s voice comes from behind them, breaking them from their moment, causing them to jump back a little. Nicole groans internally at the interruption, wishing she could kiss the brunette again. 

“Leave them alone, they’re clearly in love,” Hannah chimes in as Nicole turns to see her siblings all staring back at them. She leaves her hand resting on the small of Waverly’s back. 

“Yeah, don’t you remember what that was like?” Erin teases her husband, elbowing him in the ribs. 

“We’re still in love!” Cody huffs, turning back toward his wife. 

“I guess nine years of marriage and three kids really change things, huh?” Jack chimes in, elbowing Cody in the arm. 

“Saddle up, man,” Cody says, gesturing toward his sisters pregnant stomach, causing the other man to laugh and Hannah to glare at them. 

“You guys are ridiculous,” Nicole says with a laugh, shaking her head at them. She turns back toward Waverly, giving her an apologetic look. Waverly gives her a playful wink and turns toward where the kids are waiting for them.

“Who’s ready to play outside?” The brunette says, cheerfully, causing the kids to cheer in excitement. 

Nicole looks back at her siblings, shaking her head at them once more. Sure, they have no idea that they possibly just ruined a perfect moment for her that she might not ever get again, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be bitter about it. 

  
After bundling the kids up in snow pants, jackets, hats, gloves and even scarves, Nicole turns toward the front door. She reaches for the door handle, only to be stopped by Waverly’s hand pulling her back. She turns to make eye contact, finding the brunette holding out a blue beanie for her to put on. 

“Oh,” Nicole says, sheepishly. “Thanks.” 

“I hear it’s cold out there,” Waverly teases. Nicole smiles and slides the beanie on her head, covering her ears. She sighs as the feels the brunette brush against her, making her way out the front door with the kids. 

Nicole joins them, closing the door behind her. As they step onto the walkway, outside of the house, Waverly unknowingly takes a step onto a sheet of ice, slipping backwards. Nicole quickly puts her arms out, catching the brunette before she can fall. 

She steadies her own feet, holding the brunette in her arms for a moment. She looks down to see Waverly dipped backwards in her arms, almost as if they choreographed it. The brunette looks up at her with a smile on her face. “Nice catch, Haught,” Waverly says. 

Nicole pauses for a moment, continuing to look into her eyes. She wonders if she could take this opportunity to kiss her again. “Are you okay?” She asks. 

Waverly pushes her body up, standing back up on her feet again. She looks down at her own feet, careful to steady herself. “I’m good,” she tells her.

Nicole nods and watches the brunette make her way toward the kids who are already playing in the snow. She kicks her foot against the ice, slightly disappointed in herself for not making a move, and nearly slips herself. She looks around, hoping no one saw her almost fall. “So who’s ready to build a snowman?” She asks, rubbing her hands together, as she makes her way toward the others. 

The kids cheer as she makes her way in their direction. The next thirty minutes or so is spent with Nicole rolling snow all over the front yard, collecting as much as she can to make the biggest snowman she can manage. Part of her does it for the kids, but another part wants to show off a little for Waverly as she tries to careful heave the giant snowballs on top of each other, without asking for help.

“I can help you if you need,” Waverly tells her, almost as if she’s reminding her that she’s there. Nicole smiles at the brunette and decides to give in a little.

“Help me lift the head?” she asks, pointing at the last snowball sitting next to the half-built snowman. Waverly nods and squats down, hands sliding underneath the mass of packed snow. Nicole follows suit and they lift the snowball, carefully placing it on top of the other two snowballs. 

“Yay!” the kids cheer as the structure finally starts to look more like a snowman.

“It needs a hat!” Bella says, looking around her like she’s going to find one on the ground. Nicole starts to take her hat off, but immediately receives a warning look from the brunette.

“You’ll freeze,” Waverly tells her, pulling the redhead’s hat back onto her head. Nicole can’t help but smile at the brunette for appearing to care so much about her in such a small period of time. They pause for a moment, Waverly’s hands lingering on the edges of Nicole’s hat, some of the material still bunched in her hands. 

“Thanks,” Nicole says with a smile, leaning in a little closer to the brunette. The rest of the world starts to disappear again as if she and Waverly are the only two people to exist. Her eyes drift from Waverly’s eyes to her lips and all she can think about is what they felt like against her own. 

A smile grows on Waverly’s mouth and Nicole decides to take her chance, her gloves hands sliding softly against Waverly’s rosy cheeks, making a temporary home on the back of the brunette’s neck. As she leans further in, she takes the fact that the brunette doesn’t pull away as a sign, taking the opportunity to lean in closer. 

As the space between them lessens, her eyes close and she begins to feel Waverly’s warm breath cutting through the cool air that still separates them only slightly. As their lips press gently together, she feels the brunette part her lips as if she’s giving Nicole more access to her mouth. 

She feels Waverly’s move to her lower back as their bodies press flush against each other. The moment doesn’t last long before there’s a voice behind them. 

“Are you guys going to do that all day, or are we going to finish this thing?” 

Nicole turns around to see a sassy eight and a half year old staring back at them, one hand on her hip and the other pointing toward the extremely plain looking snowman standing tall in the front lawn. The sound of Waverly’s laughter fills the air. 

“Of course we’re going to finish it!” The brunette says, moving away from Nicole a little more and back toward the kids. 

“How about you guys find sticks for arms and I’ll run back inside for accessories?” Nicole suggests. Inside she’s screaming about how they ruined the moment, but externally, she can’t really blame them. The kids agree and scatter to find sticks in the yard. “Will you be okay with them for a minute?” she asks Waverly, realizing she’s just assuming she’ll watch the kids for a few minutes while she runs inside. 

“Yeah, I can handle it,” Waverly says with a wink. “Prepare for us to have the best snowman arms you’ve ever seen when you get back,” she jokes. 

“I’ll hold you to it,” Nicole says, pointing a finger at the brunette before she turns to make her way back into the house. 

When she opens the front door, she turns to her left to see Hannah and Erin standing in the front window, peeking through the curtains. Nicole gives them a weird look that goes unnoticed by the pair as she closes the door quietly behind her. She coughs to gain their attention.

“Oh, hey, Nicky,” Hannah says, tone full of a feeling that she’s up to something. 

“Don’t trust us with your kids?” Nicole asks, directing her question toward Erin, attempting to figure out what they’re doing. 

“No,” Erin says. “We trust you,” she laughs.

“We were just watching,” Hannah adds with a smirk.

“Watching what?” Nicole asks. 

She makes her way over to the window that the two other women are looking out. She looks out to see Waverly and the kids collecting sticks in the yard, wondering if there’s something else happening that she wasn’t aware of.

“You and your hot girlfriend,” Hannah says, nonchalantly. Nicole shakes her head and turns back toward her sister. 

“You could probably stop calling her that at any point now,” Nicole says, turning back toward her sister and giving her a warning look.

“You don’t think she’s hot?” Erin teases, softly nudging Nicole her side that is nicely padded by her winter coat. 

“I never said that,” Nicole says, looking back toward the brunette in the yard. She smiles at the sight of the woman collecting sticks with her nieces and nephew. She’s bundled up in a thick winter coat, gloves, a scarf and a hat, but she’s still the most beautiful woman Nicole has ever laid her eyes on. 

“So why are you inside right now?” Hannah asks, breaking Nicole from the trance she currently has on the brunette. 

“Snowman accessories,” Nicole says, shrugging her shoulders at the two women. They laugh, making a comment about how they’re glad they don’t have to be out in the cold as Nicole makes her way further into the house to where she knows her parents keep extra hats and scarves that she could use for the snowman.

She collects a few different hats and scarf options and tucks them under her arm, already regretting giving them options, but she doesn’t like making decisions either. Before making her way back outside, she runs upstairs to her room, digging into one of her bags that’s in the corner of the room. She pulls out her camera bag, retrieving her camera, hoping to have a chance to take some pictures of the kids playing outside. 

While her family usually has something to say about photography being her choice in careers, they seem to appreciate when she’s able to capture the moments when the family is together in a way that’s better than a camera phone. She braces herself for the comments about her being so talented, but something along the lines of photography being a great ‘hobby.’

As the front door closes behind her, she’s smacked in the face once more with the cold air of the outdoors. It’s not long before the kids are running up to her, taking the snowman accessories from her hands. She takes her camera out of her camera bag, leaving the case on a chair on the front porch as she makes her way down the steps. 

“We found at least eight sticks,” Waverly says, gesturing toward the pile of sticks lying on the ground next to the snowman. 

“So it’s a snow octopus?” Nicole teases, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at the brunette. Waverly laughs bumps her shoulder into the side of the redhead as she comes up next to her. “Hey, don’t knock me off my feet, I have precious cargo!” she says, holding her camera out in front of her a little more. 

“What if I sweep you off your feet instead?” Waverly says with a wink.

“What if you already have?” Nicole teases.

“Then my work here is done,” Waverly says with a grin on her face, turning back toward the kids who are trying to dress the snowman. 

Nicole laughs when she sees Ethan trying to reach up to put one of the scarves around the snowman's neck. She watches as Waverly picks him up, bringing him to a higher height so he’s able to reach around the snowman’s neck a little better. The sound of the woman humming a few lines of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ fills her ears. 

Nicole takes the opportunity to take out her camera and start snapping some photographs of the scene in front of her. Since the snow has stopped, the sun has been shining bright in the sky. Despite the brightness of the sun, the air is still freezing cold, making for perfect snowman building conditions. 

As she puts her camera up to her face, she closes one eye, focusing the other through the viewfinder. The image she sees through the camera warms her heart. 

_Click._

The sound of the shutter closing and opening quickly comes from the camera as she moves to capture another angle. 

She sees the girls taking sticks and putting them in the sides of the snowman, giving it arms. She smiles at the sight of them working together to problem solve while deciding where exactly to put the arms on each side.

_Click._

She sees her nephew in the arms of this beautiful woman who was a complete stranger to her not so long ago but now she feels like they were always meant to meet.

_Click._

She sees Waverly place her nephew safely back on the ground and turn toward her. The sunlight beams perfectly down onto her face, causing her to squint her eyes a little more than usual. The brunette gives her a look when she sees the camera pointed at her.

_Click._

“Are you taking my picture?” Waverly says, covering her face. Nicole can still see the smile on her face beneath her hands, indicating that she’s not actually mad about it. 

“I’m photographing the kids, you just happen to be near them,” Nicole says. It’s not a complete lie. She takes a couple steps toward the brunette and she peels her hands away from her face. “You look cute,” she assures her.

“Do I get to see?” Waverly asks, stretching her neck a bit to try to get a better look at the camera. 

“I can show you later,” Nicole says. “I don’t have to take any more of you, if you don’t want,” she tells her. She realizes she could be making her uncomfortable. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly says. “You’re the professional,” she says with a wink, making Nicole smile as she brings the camera back to her face.

Nicole has always felt comfortable behind a camera for as long as she can remember. She grew up in and out of dark rooms and took every possible photography class she could in school. As technology changed, she moved to digital, but nothing will ever beat developing her own photos. She wants to tell Waverly that she’d love to photograph her with film someday, but that would involve her verbally making the assumption that she’s going to see the brunette again after this trip and she’s not sure if that will freak her out or not. 

She snaps a few more shots of the kids, deciding which hat to put on the snow man. At one point, Lily tries to use all four hats that Nicole brought outside. Nicole laughs at the creativity she sees within her nieces. 

She turns back toward the brunette, taking a few more photos of her as well. When Waverly turns toward her again, the smile on her face is bigger than ever. Nicole watches as she starts to bend down, collecting snow in her hands. 

The redhead gives her a confused look from behind the camera, weary of the fact that the brunette’s smile doesn’t fade. In fact, it starts to become a little more devilish. 

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole warns as the brunette starts to form the snow into a ball shape. “Don’t you dare!” she says, pulling her face away from the camera, gaining a full view of the woman who is clearly not listening to her warnings.

“What?” Waverly asks, clearly knowing why Nicole is becoming nervous.

“I have my camera!” Nicole says, quickly, hoping she will give her a free pass.

“I can aim,” Waverly says with a smirk. She holds the snowball behind her head a little, before tossing it just in front of Nicole, by her feet.

“Oh, good aim,” Nicole teases. 

Waverly leans down to pick up more snow, quickly forming another snowball quickly and tossing it at Nicole, hitting her square in the leg. “That first one was on purpose,” she says with a laugh.

“You’re really asking for it, Earp,” Nicole warns. She turns toward the front porch, storing her camera away safely in its case before putting it back down on the chair on the front porch. She turns on her heels, making herself back over toward Waverly just in time to receive another snowball flying at her, this time it hits her in the shoulder.

She quickly bends over, forming a snowball as fast as she possibly can, tossing it in the direction of the brunette who is now trying to run away from her. It doesn’t take long before the kids are involved and it turns into a full fledged snowball fight. Nicole tries using Ethan as a shield at times, holding him up in front of her, but gets called a cheater and puts him down.

After a little while, the battle turns into everyone verses Nicole and she’s not sure how that even happened. “This isn’t even a fair fight!” she whines a little as she’s pelted with four snowballs at the same time. Most of them hit her in the feet, but between Bella and Waverly, she takes her fair share of shots to her legs, torso and even a few to the face. 

Nicole bends down to push together as much snow as she possibly can, create a giant snowball. She holds it in her hands and takes hits from flying snowball as she makes her way over toward Waverly.

“What are you going to do with that?” Waverly asks, a nervous look grows on her face. 

Nicole doesn’t speak, instead she just gives her a devilish grin and continues walking toward her. Waverly tries to duck behind the kids but they just giggle and push the brunette toward Nicole.

Nicole lifts the large snowball above Waverly’s head, looking her in the eye before making any more moves. Waverly gives her a pleading look. “You’re not actually going to drop that on me, right?” she asks.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” Nicole questions her, still grinning.

Waverly puts her hands flat against Nicole’s stomach, pushing her back a little. “You’re not that mean!” she says. 

“It’s payback,” Nicole teases, continuing to hold the snowball in the air. 

“I’m sorry!” Waverly says, almost in a beginning tone. Her hands are still flat against the redhead’s stomach, but soon she wraps her arms around Nicole’s torso, looking up at her with a pouty lip sticking out. “Come on! You know you don’t want to actually put that on me!”

“I kind of do,” Nicole says with a laugh, nodding back at the brunette. 

“No you don’t,’ Waverly tries again, shaking her head at her. Nicole continues to nod, smiling at her. Her arms start to feel tired from holding them in the air and she feels them falter for a second. Waverly flinches at the movement. Nicole starts to feel bad, not actually wanting to dump the cold snow on the brunette. At the same time, she’s distracted by the feeling of Waverly’s arms wrapped around her and the sound of the kids giggling at them from nearby. 

Before she knows it, Waverly reaches up and pushes her hands, knocking the snowball back and onto Nicole’s head. Nicole screams at the feeling of the cold snow falling down the back of her jacket. She hears Waverly squeal as well and looks up to see that she’s not the only one covered in snow.

“That backfired,” Waverly says with a laugh, causing the kids to laugh even harder. 

“Are we even now?” Nicole asks, even though they might not actually be even, the sight of the brunette squirming from snow falling down her back is good enough for her. 

“It’s so cold!” Waverly says, shivering. She tries wiggling around to get the snow to drop out of the back of her shirt. 

“Is that our queue to go back inside?” Nicole asks. She looks down at the kids, noticing their faces have become quite a bit redder since they first came out. “Who wants to go in for some hot cocoa?” she asks.

“Yay!” the kids let out a cheer as they all go running toward the front door. Nicole turns back toward Waverly, holding out her hand to her. “Let’s go get warm,” she says.

Waverly nods. “I’m keeping your hand though so you can’t hit me with any more surprise snowballs,” she warns. 

“Deal,” Nicole says with a laugh as they turn toward the house, making their way back into the warmth of the inside. Before entering the house, Nicole lets go of Waverly’s hand to grab her camera bag from the chair. 

Once inside, they shed off their jackets and gloves. Some snow drops from their clothing onto the rug in the entryway of the house. They help the kids take their jackets and accessories off as well, sending them into the house to ask about hot chocolate. Nicole loves her nieces and nephew, but enjoys time without them for a moment as well.

“I need dry clothes,” Waverly says, hanging her jacket up on a hook in the entryway. Nicole nods and they make their way up the stairs together. “I’m not sure if I have enough clothes with me,” the brunette tells her. “Most of my stuff was sent home already,” she adds.

“Do you want a change of clothes so yours can dry? I have plenty of sweatpants in my drawers,” Nicole tells her, as she opens the door to her room, allowing the brunette to go in first. “My parents didn’t get rid of anything,” she laughs. She opens up one of the dresser drawers in her room, pulling out a pair of sweatpants that she used to wear in high school. She holds them up, noticing and image of her high school mascot on the leg, with ‘women’s basketball’ underneath it. 

“Oh, I get to get into the team captain’s pants?” Waverly teases, giving the redhead a wink. Nicole’s eyes widen slightly at the comment and the brunette laughs. Nicole realizes she’s probably just trying to get a rise out of her, but she can’t help notice that Waverly has been significantly more flirty since they kissed under the mistletoe. 

Nicole licks her lips before she speaks. “Shouldn’t I at least take you on a date first?” She teases. 

“This doesn’t count as a first date?” Waverly retorts. Nicole notices the brunette has moved closer to her, reaching out for the pants. She hands them to the woman, fingers brushing together gently. 

“Taking you home to my family to pretend to be my girlfriend?” Nicole asks. She lets out a small chuckle at the thought, still not believing this is all real. But at the same time, it still feels so natural. 

“Hm,” Waverly pretends to think. “A drink at the bar, a train ride, a nice meal, good conversation, playing in the snow,” she begins the list off the things they’ve done together so far. She takes another step toward the redhead, closing the gap between them a little more. “Mistletoe,” Waverly says in almost a whisper. She places her hand on Nicole’s cheek, brushing her thumb lightly against her lips. 

Nicole can’t help but kiss the thumb that lingers against her mouth, causing the brunette to smile. “Sounds like a date to me,” Nicole agrees, leaning in toward Waverly a little more. 

“A perfect date,” Waverly says, smile growing bigger, pushing up on her toes toward Nicole. She moves her hand to the back of Nicole’s neck, fingers tangling in her red hair. 

Nicole places a finger under Waverly’s chin, lifting her head toward her, leaning in to fully close the rest of the gap between the pair. Lips part before they touch. The kiss deepens right away, tongues brushing lightly against each other’s. 

Nicole slides her hands around the brunette’s body, feeling the dampness of her clothing on her back from the snow. Waverly doesn’t seem to mind anymore as she slides her other hand behind Nicole’s head, tangling her fingers in her hair. 

They continue to kiss for a few moments, enjoying the silence and time alone even if it’s only for a little while. Nicole was grateful to have someone home with her as a distraction, but she’s even more grateful now. 

A small moan comes from Waverly’s throat and Nicole can’t help but smile into the kiss. Kissing Waverly didn’t feel like kissing anyone else. It felt more real. It made her feel more whole than she’s ever felt before and nothing in her wants to let that go. 

The sound of a cell phone ringing comes from behind her and neither of them stop to answer it at first. The ringing continues and Waverly finally pulls away, Nicole gasping for air that she didn’t realize she needed. 

“That’s mine,” she says, apologetically, as she turns toward the bed where her cell phone is sitting. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole tells her. “You should get that,” she says, gesturing toward the phone. 

Waverly nods and picks the phone up, giving it a confused look before answering. “Hello?” 

Nicole hears another voice through the phone, but can’t make out what they’re saying. 

“Wynonna?!” Waverly asks loudly, giving Nicole an apologetic look for basically yelling. 

Nicole mouths “it’s okay,” to the brunette. 

“Are you home?” Waverly asks into the phone. 

Nicole quickly feels awkward, like she’s eavesdropping on her conversation. She collects some clothes to change into and gestures to the door, mouthing to her that she’s going to take a shower. Waverly nods in agreeance and takes a seat on the bed. Nicole turns toward her door, opening it enough for her to leave and immediately closes it behind her. 

When she reaches the bathroom, she stands in front of the mirror for a moment, still feeling the brunette’s lips on her own. She smiles at the thought of her and the idea of the possibility of dating someone as amazing as she is. 

Afraid to leave the woman alone too long, in fear that her family will get to her and ruin any possible good image she has of her, Nicole makes a quick decision to get into the shower and get out as soon as she possibly can. The hot water stings against her cold skin, but she quickly adjusts. After a few moments, she doesn’t want to leave the warmth of the shower, but knows she’d rather spend any time she can with Waverly before she leaves the next day. 

She does a half-assed job of drying herself off, making it difficult to squeeze into her skinny jeans, but somehow manages to get dressed in record time. She brings the towel with her, drying her hair as she returns to her room, hoping the brunette is still there. She slowly opens the door handle when she hears the woman still talking on the phone, closing the door quietly behind her. 

“Okay,” Waverly says into the phone, giving the redhead a small wave of acknowledgement. “Yeah, I know, I hope so,” she continues. “Okay, yeah, love you too, okay, bye,” she says, hanging up the phone. 

“Sorry about that,” Waverly says, turning toward Nicole. “That was my sister,” she explains. 

“Is everything okay?” Nicole asks. She dries her hair a little more with her towel before draping it over the back of the desk chair in the room. 

“Yeah,” Waverly says in a tone that’s not quite believable. Nicole gives her a look, hoping to get a little more information. “She says she’ll be home for New Years.” 

“And will she?” Nicole asks. 

Waverly plops down onto the side of the bed, feet dangling toward the floor. “Who knows,” she says with a shrug. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nicole asks. She moves across the room, sitting down on the bed next to the brunette. Their thighs press against each other and Nicole rests her hands in her own lap. 

“It’s just more of a believe it when you see it kind of thing,” Waverly explains. Nicole notices that she starts to play with the rings on her fingers as she talks. The brunette stares down at her hands. Nicole listens quietly, turning her head toward the woman next to her. “I’ve learned not to become disappointed when she doesn’t show up, but it’s kind of hard when she just keeps saying she will.” 

“Maybe she will,” Nicole tries to be hopeful, giving her a soft smile. 

Waverly turns her head towards the redhead, giving her a half smile. Nicole can tell she’s hurting, wishing she could help take some of it away for her. “You’re really sweet,” she says. “But you don’t know my sister like I do.” 

Nicole nods in agreement. She can’t really argue with her there. She doesn’t know anything about Waverly’s sister, except for the fact that she might be in Greece and she doesn’t seem very reliable. 

“My dad died when I was six and Wynonna was all I really had left,” Waverly explains. Nicole feels a pain in her chest for the brunette. She might not always see eye to eye with her family, especially not her father, but she still can’t imagine life without him. Waverly looks back down toward her hands. “She made a lot of poor choices, but she was there for me. Then she left and I’ve barely seen her since,” she continues. “I try not to hold a grudge against her for leaving, but it’s hard not to feel abandoned at the same,” she admits. 

Nicole isn’t sure what to say. She takes her hand and places it on Waverly’s leg in attempts to comfort her in some way. Waverly doesnt look up, but smiles and takes Nicole’s hand in her own, playing with her fingers for a moment. 

“Why did she leave?” Nicole finally asks. 

“She thinks I’m better off,” Waverly tells her. “I used to think it was her thinking she’d be better off with me.” 

“Anyone would be a fool to think that,” Nicole says, quickly. Waverly looks up at her with a more genuine smile on her face this time. 

“You know, sometimes I ask for a sign that I deserve more in this world than the cards I’ve been dealt,” Waverly says. “Not that my aunt isn’t great, because she is. But I always wondered if there was more out there for me, and then I met you.” 

“You think it was fate?” Nicole asks. She’s never really been one to believe in fate or destiny, but she tries to believe there’s a reason as to why things happen the way that they do. 

“Maybe,” the brunette tells her. “I mean, if it was my destiny to end up grounded at an airport two days before Christmas and brought home by a gorgeous stranger, I guess I must be doing something right,” she says with a wink in Nicole’s direction. 

Nicole pauses for a moment. She’s sure that Waverly has done a lot of things right. She can’t imagine the woman doing anything so bad that she doesn’t deserve good things in her life. She finds herself wanting to know more. She wants to know more about where she came from, stories from her past, she wants to see where she grew up, what made her into the woman she is today. 

Her mind goes wild with thoughts and questions. Is it possible that she could be falling for someone she just met? Maybe it’s just the time of the season. Christmas is a time for love and family right? With decorations everywhere, time spent with others that doesn’t happen throughout the year, snow covering the ground, Christmas music, mistletoe and gifts all around, it’s hard not to feel things that aren’t usually felt. 

“I guess we’re both doing something right,” Nicole responds with a smirk. 

“Thank you for being so kind to me,” Waverly says, squeezing Nicole’s hand in her own. “It means more to me than you’ll ever know.” 

“Of course,” Nicole says with a smile. Her thoughts race again. Okay, so maybe Waverly doesn’t feel the same way about her. Maybe she’s just enjoying her company for the time being but hasn’t thought about wanting to see her again when this is all over. Waverly leans in and kisses her on the cheek, confusing her even more. “Waverly,” Nicole starts. She pauses again, trying to muster up any confidence that she has to tell her what she’s feeling. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks. She turns her body a little more, angling it more toward the redhead. 

“I’ve been thinking and-” she trails off, unsure of what she actually wants to say right now. “I’ve been thinking,” she repeats. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks, a little confused, still giving Nicole her full attention. 

There’s a knock at the door and Nicole lets out an audible sigh, partially out of relief and partially out of frustration.

“Come in!” She calls out as the pair turns their attention toward the door. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Cody says as he pushes the door open a little further. 

“You’re not interrupting anything, Nicole says with the slightest groan as she stands up from the bed. She sees Waverly give her a look she’s unable to read out of the corner of her eye. 

“My children want to decorate cookies but they said they can’t do it without you,” Cody says with a laugh. 

“Okay,” Nicole says, laughing as well. She turns to look at Waverly. “We’ll be down in a minute,” she says, turning back toward her brother. The man nods and closes the door behind him as he leaves. “Ready for more family fun?” Nicole says with a smirk toward Waverly. 

Waverly laughs and nods. She stands up from the bed. “What was it that you were going to say?” She asks, taking a few steps closer to the redhead. 

“Oh, uh, it’s not important,” Nicole says, shaking her head. 

“Don’t do that,” Waverly says, shaking her head back at the redhead. 

“Do what?” Nicole asks. She watches as Waverly moves closer to her, closing the gap between them again. She takes a deep breath in through her nose, inhaling Waverly’s scent before she lets the breath out slowly. 

“Invalidate your feelings,” the brunette says, placing a hand on Nicole’s hip. “It’s just as bad as apologizing for something you didn’t do,” she tells her as she looks up, making eye contact with the redhead. 

“Who says I have feelings?” Nicole says with a smirk, knowing that Waverly is going to shoot that comment down real fast.

“Oh, okay,” Waverly says, sarcastically. “I see you with those kids down there, I know you’re softer than you like to think, Haught,” she teases. 

“Maybe it’s just a momentary weakness,” Nicole retorts, biting her bottom lip. 

“So I found a weakness already?” Waverly asks like she’s proud of herself. 

“I think you might have created weakness,” Nicole says boldly. She’s immediately nervous for the response. Putting herself out there isn’t usually her forte. 

“Huh?” Waverly asks. 

“I like you Waverly,” Nicole finally spits out the words she’s been wanting to say all day. “I know it’s crazy but there’s just something about you,” she tells her. She waits for a reply. Part of her waits for the brunette to push her away. She waits for the ‘we don’t know each other well enough’ or the ‘this is all moving too fast.’ 

“Maybe it seems crazy,” Waverly begins. “But that doesn’t make it less real,” she tells her. Nicole’s heart feels like it’s pounding out of her chest. “I like you too, Nicole, and I’m not sure what we’re going to do with that right now, but what I do know is that right now, I’m enjoying this time we do have together.” 

So, it might not be the answer to all of the questions that Nicole has, but it’s a start. The seed of the conversations to come has been planted and for now, that’s enough for the redhead to continue to enjoy getting to know this woman the best that she can. 

“That sounds perfect,” Nicole says with a smile. She leans in, kissing Waverly softly on the lips. She’s beginning to feel like it’s a natural thing that they do and she couldn’t be happier. “We better get downstairs,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder. 

“Yeah, part of me was wondering when we were going to hear the sound of little footsteps running down the hall,” Waverly says with a laugh. 

“I’m sure it’ll happen soon,” Nicole says as she turns toward the door. She pulls the handle, gesturing for Waverly to exit first. “After you,” she says with a smile as she watches the brunette steps out of the room before she does. 

Before she can get too far, Waverly stops in her tracks and turns back toward the redhead. She reaches her hand out for Nicole’s. Nicole smiles as she looks down toward the brunette’s hand, she laughs as she sees her wiggle her fingers as if she’s impatiently waiting for her to take her hand. She looks back up at Waverly, making eye contact with her before she takes her hand, smile never fading. Waverly returns the smile and gestures toward the stairs as they begin to walk together toward them. 


	4. Chapter 4

Decorating Christmas cookies turns into having more frosting on everything but the cookies, but this comes as no surprise to Waverly, who’s pretty used to messy activities with her students. She watches as the kids spread more frosting than necessary on the cookies, Ethan dumping sprinkles on top while his parents try to stop him and show him the ‘right’ way of doing it.

She finds herself watching the interactions between Nicole’s family members, and admittedly becomes a little jealous of them at the same time. Part of her wishes she could have a family like this that likes to spend time together, even if they say it’s due to obligation. She feels like even Nicole likes to be around her family, despite the ridicule she does receive about some of her life choices. She feels that maybe she’s making it a little easier on the redhead, taking some of the negative attention off of her, which gives her a warm feeling. 

The warm feeling is something that appeared not long after she met the redhead at the airport bar, and she’s noticed that it hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s gotten stronger as well as the butterflies she feels in her stomach every time she looks in Nicole’s direction. There’s just something about the woman that makes her feel like maybe there is someone good out there that could feel for her as much as she feels for them.

She does have to admit, her track record for dating hasn’t been the greatest. She likes to blame it on the lack of eligible people in the town of Purgatory, but in reality, she just feels like she hasn’t met the right person. Maybe until now, that is. These thoughts might scare her more than she can even begin to explain, but somehow she feels her fears ease with Nicole, like she’s safe with her. 

“Hey!” she hears Nicole call out, breaking her from her thoughts. She looks up to see the redhead on the other side of the island in the middle of the kitchen, now donning a huge clump of green frosting on her cheek. Waverly can’t help but laugh. 

She looks to see Ethan standing near her, on top of a chair, licking green frosting off of his fingers. 

“Now she needs sprinkles,” Waverly says, giving the boy a wink. Ethan lets out a giggle and nods, picking up some sprinkles that are all over the counter. He tries to put them on his aunt’s cheek, but they mostly just fall to the ground. 

“How about like this?” Cody asks, leaning his sister’s head down toward the counter, pressing her cheek that’s covered in fronting onto the scattered sprinkles. 

“Beautiful,” Waverly says, making her way around the counter over toward Nicole. 

“Ha ha,” Nicole says, giving the brunette a warning look. “I think Waverly needs some too,” she adds, looking back toward the kids. Ethan reaches his hands out to try to wipe frosting on Waverly, but misses when she quickly ducks away.

“Oh, no,” she says, hiding behind Nicole. Nicole quickly turns around, taking some of the frosting from her face, wiping it on the brunette’s nose. “Nicole!” she whines. 

Nicole snorts out a laugh and licks the frosting off of her finger. “What?” she asks like she didn’t do anything at all. Waverly can’t help but laugh at the small, dimpled grin she receives from the redhead. Even covered in frosting, her dimple comes through prominently on her cheek. 

“You guys better not mess up my cookies!” Bella chimes in, holding up two of her perfectly decorated cookies. 

“Wow, those are beautiful!” Waverly tells her. She’s impressed by the creative talent of Nicole’s eldest niece. She sees creativity runs in the family, whether they like to acknowledge that as a quality trait or not. 

“I’ve had practice,” Bella says, with a side of sass, causing Waverly to laugh.

“Very beautiful, babygirl,” Erin says to her daughter with a smile as she kisses her on the forehead. 

Waverly watches the interaction for a moment before feeling a pain in her chest at the sound of the nickname, remembering that that’s what her sister calls her. 

“You okay?” Nicole asks, leaning in toward Waverly, pressing a kiss against her cheek. She notices Nicole showing more signs of affection toward her, which feels natural to her and she definitely doesn’t mind. She knows this all started over as a cover story, but that’s sure not what it feels like anymore. 

Waverly nods, wanting to turn toward the redhead and kiss her on the mouth, regardless of the frosting all over the place. “I’m good,” she says. She grabs a napkin and wipes Nicole’s cheek for her. “Clean yourself up, you’re a mess,” she teases. 

Nicole laughs and takes the napkin from Waverly, attempting to clean her own face. “I need a mirror,” she says as she leaves the kitchen and heads for the bathroom. Waverly laughs and wipes the frosting off of her own nose to the best of her ability. 

“So,” Hannah says to Waverly as soon as Nicole leaves the room. “You’re really into my sister, huh?” she questions the brunette as if she doesn’t believe that someone would actually be interested in Nicole.

“Hannah!” Erin yells at the youngest Haught from across the counter. 

“Oh please, I’m just messing with her,” Hannah huffs. “Family initiation,” she says with a wink in Waverly’s direction. 

“Are you going to give me the ‘don’t mess with my sister’ talk?” Waverly asks. It’s a talk she can’t say she’s ever received before, but she’s never had anyone give that speech to anyone she’s dated either. 

“That would be more for me to give, Hannah doesn’t  _ actually  _ care if it doesn’t affect her,” Cody chimes in with a laugh, receiving an audible huff from his youngest sister. 

“Rude!” Hannah yells, crossing her arms across her chest, causing Waverly to laugh. “That’s not true!” 

“Are you guys harassing my girlfriend?” Nicole’s voice echoes through the doorway. Waverly laughs and turns in her direction, watching her make her way back toward the counter than they were all still standing around. 

“Just Hannah,” Cody says, quickly.

“I am not,” their sister whines. 

“They’re fine,” Waverly says with a laugh. “I’m going to go wash my face now,” she says as she walks past Nicole, fingers brushing lightly on her arm as she passes. 

As she makes her way into the bathroom, Waverly closes the door behind her. She looks at herself in the mirror and laughs at the sight of her frosting covered nose. Turning on the water, she washes her face to the best of her ability before drying it with a towel. 

When she leaves the bathroom, she heads back toward the kitchen. The sound of Nicole and her siblings talking grows louder with every step she takes. At first, she can’t make out what they’re saying, but she mostly hears Hannah asking her questions. The closer she gets, the more frustration she can hear in Nicole’s voice.

“I’m just asking how you happened to score a girl like that,” Hannah tells her. Waverly quietly hangs back in the doorway, unnoticed by the rest of the group.

“What’s that even supposed to mean, Hannah?” Nicole asks. “Do you think I’m such a horrible person that I don’t deserve anyone good?”

“No,” Hannah argues. “I’m just saying, she doesn’t seem like anyone else you’ve ever been with,” she tries to explain.

“First of all,” Nicole says. “That’s probably a good thing. And second of all, you don’t know anyone I’ve ever been with,” she tells her. “Well, you might,” she says. Waverly notices Erin give her a warning look that seems to go unnoticed by everyone else, causing Nicole to grin a little. “But you don’t know that I’ve been with them,” she laughs. 

“Gross, I don’t want to know who you’ve hooked up with that I know,” Hannah groans. “I guess I just don’t get why you never even mentioned this girl before if she’s such a good person.”

“Don’t you dare,” Nicole says, quickly becoming defensive.

“What?” Hannah asks.

“I’m not going to sit here and let you ridicule Waverly,” Nicole tells her. “You don’t need to find something wrong with everyone you meet just because you think you’re better than everyone!”

“Guys-” Cody warns, gesturing toward the kids. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says, taking in a visible deep breath, letting it out slowly. “But maybe I didn’t mention her because I wanted to keep something to myself,” she tries to explain. 

Waverly can see her growing more frustrated as the conversation goes on. It continues with Hannah mostly making comments about how Nicole is always afraid she’s going to disappoint people but doesn’t try to make any changes for the better, as if what she’s doing in her life isn’t good. Waverly begins to grow frustrated for the redhead, but doesn’t want to jump in and fight her battles for her.

“Fine,” Nicole says. “What do you want me to say? It’s all too good to be true?” she asks. “Maybe it is,” she says, she seems defeated. Waverly is afraid she’s about to say something she can’t take back. 

“What do you mean?” Hannah asks, giving her sister a confused look.

“Waverly isn’t-” Nicole starts, but is quickly cut off by her sister.

“Your girlfriend?” Hannah asks. “Tell me she’s not actually your girlfriend,” her sister snorts out a laugh. “I knew this seemed too good to be true!” 

With that, Waverly starts making her way into the kitchen. Nicole’s eyes widen, as if she is searching for the words but nothing comes out of her mouth. 

“No,” Waverly says in a stern tone. “She was going to tell you that I can’t stay all the way through Christmas, I have to leave tomorrow,” she informs them. “My aunt is alone, my sister didn’t make it back into town and I don’t want her to spend Christmas by herself. The next flight I could get is tomorrow morning. So I hate to leave on short notice, but that’s what she was going to tell you,” she repeats.

“Oh,” Hannah says, dumbfounded, like she’s unsure of what else to say. Waverly feels proud of her ability to shut the woman down, as she stands up for Nicole.

“Besides, Nicole is one of the most amazing human beings I have ever met. I’m absolutely honored to be her girlfriend,” she adds for effect, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s waist, pulling her closer. 

“Well, that sucks that you have to leave!” Erin says. “Hopefully you make it back again soon!”

“I’d love to,” Waverly replies with a smile, squeezing Nicole a little tighter. 

Nicole leans in toward Waverly’s ear whispering, “thank you,” before kissing her on the cheek. Waverly nods and gives her a quick wink.

“Oh, man! It looks like you kids had some fun in here!” Nicole’s mom says with a laugh, as she enters the kitchen, holding bags of chinese food. 

Waverly looks around the room to see that the frosting on the counter has now multiplied as well as the amount of frosting spread across the kids faces and hands. The only one who doesn’t seem like she’s head to toe in frosting is Bella, but the other two look like they need to be sprayed down with a hose. 

“We come bearing food!” Nicole’s dad says as he follows his wife into the kitchen, holding up a second bag of chinese food.

“We were just about to clean up, mom,” Nicole tells her, looking around quickly for a towel. Cody and Erin shuffle their two younger children down the hallway, into the bathroom to clean them up while the rest clean up the kitchen.

Waverly collects the cookies on a tray and moves them to another counter, clearing off space for the redhead to wipe down the messy surface. After cleanup, the family makes their way into the living room Chinese food and a movie. 

Waverly finds the tradition endearing and wonders what it would be like to officially be a part of a family tradition for Christmas. She tries to remember the days when her family had holiday traditions, sometimes she feels like there’s a blurred line between the traditions she remembers and what she was told used to happen. 

After filling her stomach with more Chinese food than she thought she could eat, Waverly settles back on the couch a little more. She looks around at the room filled with family, every face glued to the tv watching ‘The Santa Clause 2.’ She finds Nicole to be right about her siblings quoting the movie the entire time, but she doesn’t mind, she enjoys observing them all together. She finds that despite their differences, their family has a sweetness about them that she really likes. 

When Nicole is done eating, Waverly feels her lean forward next to her to place her plate on the coffee table before leaving further back into the corner of the couch. Waverly takes the opportunity to lean into Nicole’s side. The redhead welcomes her by lifting her arm up to the back of the couch, resting her hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you cold?” Nicole asks, whispering into Waverly’s ear. “There’s a blanket behind you if you want.” 

Waverly nods and leans forward slightly so Nicole can grab the blanket. When she hands it to her, Waverly spreads it out over her lap, pulling it over Nicole’s legs as well, and returns to cuddling up into the redhead’s side. 

She thinks about how comfortable she is in the redhead’s arms, feeling like it’s a place she’s really meant to be. She feels Nicole start to rub soft circles with her thumb on her shoulder, brushing softly on her bare skin at times. Goosebumps form on her skin under her touch, running down her spine. Waverly moves her hand, resting it on Nicole’s leg under the blanket. She squeezes slightly, just above her knee.

Waverly continues to face the TV, trying to focus on the movie, but she feels the redhead looking at her from time to time, causing her to smile to herself. The sound of the kids laughing from the couch on the other side of her, breaks her from her thoughts. 

Waverly laughs when she sees Lily lay back on the couch, in her fit of laughter, resting her feet up on her lap. She has to admit, she’s grown pretty attached to Nicole’s nieces and nephew over the past couple of days and they seem pretty comfortable with her too. She hears Nicole laugh and turns to see her shaking her head at her niece laying her feet all over Waverly. Nicole reaches over, tickling the little girl’s feet, causing her to laugh more. 

“You’re putting your feet all over Waverly!” Nicole laughs. 

“She’s fine,” Waverly says with a laugh, giving Nicole’s leg another squeeze. She feels the redhead lace her fingers in between her own.

She tilts her head back, making eye contact with Nicole, getting lost in her soft, brown eyes. For a moment, it feels like the rest of the world disappears around them, making her feel like they’re the only two people in the room. Her eyes trail to the redhead’s lips. She thinks about how all she wants to do is kiss them right now. There’s a certain softness in the way she smiles, a dimple appearing on her cheek each time that has Waverly hooked. 

She sees Nicole squint her eyes a little like she’s trying to get a read on what she’s thinking. Waverly doesn’t speak to tell her what’s on her mind at the moment. Instead she reaches her free hand out, brushing her thumb lightly across the redhead’s cheek. Nicole closes her eyes at the touch, causing Waverly to smile. 

The brunette boops the other woman on the nose with her finger, causing her to open her eyes with a grin on her face. Laughter comes from the kids again and Waverly turns, assuming it’s another funny part in the movie that she hasn’t been paying much attention to. 

Waverly leans her head back on Nicole’s shoulder, continuing to watch the movie. She notices it’s getting close to the end, so she should probably pay attention to it a little. The kids cheer when Santa marries Mrs. Claus at the end of the movie, but cover their eyes and groan when they kiss, making Waverly laugh.

As the credits start to roll, everyone in the room begins to shift. Waverly internally groans at the thought of having to leave the warmth of Nicole’s arms. She dramatically throws her head back, causing the redhead to smile. Lily jumps up from the couch, pulling on Waverly’s arm. Waverly suddenly feels obligated to move. 

“Come on, Waverly!” the little girl says as she pulls on her arm until she stands from the couch. 

“Where am I going?” Waverly asks with a laugh. 

“To play!” the little girl says, continuing to tug on her hand. Waverly turns around, giving Nicole a shrug as the redhead smiles and shakes her head at the pair. Nicole stands up from the couch not long after. 

“I know a few kids that need to get ready for bed soon!” Erin calls out, looking specifically at Lily who is still trying to drag Waverly wherever she is trying to go. 

“We don’t want to go to bed!” Lily whines, turning back toward her mother. 

“If you don’t go to bed, Santa won’t come!” Cody reminds them. Lily looks back at Waverly, sticking out a pouting lip out like she is going to be able to change their minds. 

“It’s Christmas Eve,” the kids’ grandfather chimes in. “Maybe they can stay up a little later tonight?” he suggests.

“Maybe they’ll sleep in a little tomorrow,” Jack adds with a laugh.

“Why don’t I go get my guitar and I’ll play a couple of Christmas songs before bed?” Waverly suggests, causing the youngest Haught child to light up with excitement. 

“You’d do that?” Nicole asks. Waverly knows she told her she’s not huge on performing in front of others. She finds it sweet that she cares so much. 

“Of course,” Waverly says. “I play for my students all the time,” she tells her. She has a much easier time performing in front of people that she’s comfortable with, which is how she feels with the Haught family already. 

“Only if you feel comfortable,” Nicole reassures her, making her feel like she’s not being pressured at all. 

“I do,” Waverly says. She smiles at the redhead and takes her hand, squeezing it a little. “Let me go grab my guitar,” she says, gesturing toward the upstairs. 

“I’ll come with you,” Nicole says. 

Waverly nods and the pair turns to head upstairs when they hear a voice call out behind them. “Man, Nicky, you don’t have to go everywhere with her,” Erin teases. 

“They’re just going to go make out!” Hannah adds, causing the pair to look at each other. Waverly laughs when she sees Nicole wiggling her eyebrows at her, suggestively. She shakes her head back at her, but she definitely wouldn’t mind having a little more alone time with the redhead. 

“Probably,” Erin replies with a laugh. Nicole gives them a warning look before they make their way up the stairs together. 

“I really just wanted to grab my camera,” Nicole says as she opens the door, allowing Waverly to enter the room before her. 

“Oh,” Waverly says, softly. Part of her hoped the redhead had other plans. 

“But,” Nicole says, reaching out her hand to grab Waverly’s arm, pulling her back toward herself. “This is a plus,” she adds, placing a hand on Waverly’s cheek before pressing their lips together. 

Waverly feels her heart race is her chest and she can’t help but smile into the kiss. She thinks about how smooth the redhead is and how kissing her lips feels familiar, yet brand new at the same time. It feels natural, like they fit together in a way that’s different than anyone else, but each kiss leaves her wanting more. 

They continue to kiss for a few moments before someone needs to come up for air. When they pull apart, Waverly rests her forehead against Nicole’s, faces still so close that she can feel the redhead’s breath on her own. 

“So I finally get to hear you sing a full song? More than four words?” Nicole asks with a grin on her face. 

“I guess it’s your lucky day,” Waverly teases, smiling back at her. 

“Best first date ever,” Nicole says, almost in a whisper. Her face is still close to Waverly’s. The brunette feels her kiss her gently on the nose. 

“Oh please, we’re at least on our second date by now,” Waverly playfully huffs. 

“You’re right,” Nicole agrees. She starts naming off more of their date activities. “Decorating cookies, Chinese food, Christmas movies and cuddling on the couch,” she lists. “With my niece’s feet all over you…” she adds with a laugh. 

“She’s cute,” Waverly tells her as if she’s reassuring her that she doesn’t mind. 

“She really likes you,” Nicole says. She smiles like she’s thinking about how well Waverly fits in with her family. 

“Well, I really like her,” Waverly says, grinning. 

“And do you still feel that way about her aunt?” Nicole asks, narrowing her eyes a little more, a dimpled smile on her face. 

“She’s pretty cool too,” Waverly says nonchalantly, teasing the redhead. 

Nicole laughs. “Well, it does sound like a good second date then.” 

“Don’t forget to add singing Christmas carols together to the list,” Waverly reminds her. 

“Together?” Nicole asks, swallowing hard. 

Waverly drags her fingers down Nicole’s back, pulling her body closer to her own. She pushes up on her toes, planting a kiss on the redhead’s lips. “Oh, you’re singing,” she tells her. 

“I don’t sing,” Nicole argues. 

“Everyone sings Christmas carols!” Waverly tells her, tone displaying a slight whine. 

“I’m not sure you’ll like me much if you hear my singing voice,” Nicole says with a laugh. She shakes her head in protest as she speaks. 

“Oh stop, it can’t be that bad,” Waverly says, pushing her playfully, hands pausing flat against Nicole’s stomach. She feels the muscles under Nicole’s shirt flex under her touch and she wonders for a moment what her fingers would feel like against her bare skin.

“I guess you’ll have to find out,” Nicole says with a laugh. “Now tell me, how does a girl get a third date after the second with you?” the redhead asks, tilting her head a little toward Waverly.

“Keep playing your cards right, Haught, and maybe you’ll get lucky,” Waverly says with a wink. She slides her hands around to Nicole’s back, grasping at the fabric of her shirt.

“How lucky?” Nicole teases, giving her a smirk.

Waverly quickly pulling her hands back to Nicole stomach, pushing her playfully again. “Enough for a third date,” she says, even though in her mind, there are several other things she can think of that she wants to do with her. 

“Well then,” Nicole says. “I’m willing to take my chances.” 

“But first,” Waverly says, leaning over and reaching for her guitar. “Let’s get our Christmas carol on,” she says with a wink as she turns toward the door. 

“I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into taking you home with me,” Nicole teases as she follows her out the door. 

“Nope,” Waverly says. “You really don’t,” she jokes as she glances over her shoulder in Nicole’s direction. 

When they make their way down the stairs, they find the rest of Nicole’s family sitting around the living room. The two younger kids are running around the room, chasing each other while the oldest sits quietly with a book. Nicole’s siblings and their significant others chat idly with their parents. Waverly finds herself smiling at the scene in front of her. It’s like something from the Christmas movies she’s spent so many years watching. 

It’s a scene that’s almost made her wonder what life would be like if she could be a part of something like that. There’s a fire in the fireplace, stockings hanging from the mantel and a large, decorated tree in the corner of the room. It might not seem perfect to Nicole, but to Waverly, it’s more than she could have ever imagined, even if it’s only for a short period of time. 

They gain the attention of the family as they make their way into the room, Waverly sitting down on the couch with her guitar. She catches the redhead watching her closely as she takes a seat in a nearby chair. It doesn’t take long for the kids to sit down on the couch next to her, hands immediately reaching for the guitar. 

“Hands off, guys!” Erin calls out to her children. They listen fairly well, placing their hands in the laps, but not before Ethan strums the strings quickly. Waverly laughs and tells Erin that it’s okay. 

She feels a bunch of eyes on her suddenly, becoming a little nervous, unsure of what to play. She tells them that she’ll take requests, but she might need some people to sing along. She gives Nicole a wink, causing her to shake her head back at her. 

After a little deliberation between the family, discussing different Christmas songs, Waverly just starts strumming, seeing where her fingers take her. It’s not long before she’s lost in the music and finds herself singing to a room full of people who were strangers the day before. 

_ “Hang all the mistletoe, I'm gonna get to know you better this Christmas.” _

The words start to come from her mouth and she makes quick eye contact with Nicole, catching the smile that grows across her lips. The redhead lifts her camera to her face, snapping photos as she continues to sing. 

_ “And as we trim the tree how much fun it's gonna be together this Christmas.” _

She gives the redhead a wink before turning to see the kids, excited, as she continues playing. 

_ “Fireside blazing bright. We’re caroling through the night. And this Christmas will be a very special Christmas for me.  _

She laughs as she sees Lily starting to dance to the music. She envies the energy this little redhead has and realizes she’s definitely going to miss being around it when she has to go home the next day. She sees Nicole snap a few photos of her niece and nephew as they enjoy the music. 

_ “Present and cards are here. My world is filled with cheer, and you, this Christmas. And as I look around, your eyes outshine the town, they do, this Christmas.”  _

She can’t help but bring her attention back to Nicole, who lowers the camera from her face, continuing to stare in her direction. She gets lost in her eyes and the look she’s receiving from the redhead. She’s looking at her like she’s the only person who exists in the world right now, a look she doesn’t think she’s ever received from anyone else before. At least not in a way where Waverly doesn’t feel like the look will disappear if she doesn’t live up to some expectation of the other person. 

_ “Fireside blazing bright. We’re caroling through the night and this Christmas will be a very special Christmas for me.” _

As she continues to sing, some of the other family members start to chime in, which she appreciates. She raises her eyebrows at the redhead as the song goes on, hoping to get her to chime in. She sees her lips start to move, but she can’t hear actual sound coming out of her. She narrows her eyes a little, grinning at her, trying to encourage her. Nicole laughs and shakes her head, and lifts her camera back to her face to take more photos of her family throughout the room. 

As the song comes to an end, she receives a round of applause from the family, causing her to blush. She’s surprised when she sees Nicole stand up from the chair, making her way over to where she is on the couch. She tilts her head up toward her, unsure of what she’s doing. Nicole cups Waverly’s cheeks with her hands, pulling her in for a kiss, despite sitting in a room full of her family.

“That was beautiful,” the redhead says, almost in a whisper, as she pulls away from the kiss. Waverly slowly opens her eyes, a smile plastered across her mouth. She hears kissing noises coming from the kids next to her and breaks out into laughter. 

“Okay, okay,” Waverly says. “Who wants to choose the next song?” she asks, gesturing toward the kids. She glances back at Nicole, giving her another smile as she watches her settle back into her chair. “Maybe something Aunt Nicole will sing,” she teases.

“Frosty the snowman!” Lily calls out. Waverly laughs as she runs across the room, jumping onto Nicole’s lap. “You like to sing that one!” she says to her aunt. 

Waverly raises an eyebrow at the redhead, giving her an ‘I thought you don’t sing,’ look. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Nicole tries to argue. 

Waverly laughs and starts strumming the guitar again. After playing a few more songs, Nicole’s mom tells the kids is just about time to read ‘The Night Before Christmas’ and get ready for bed so Santa can come. 

The kids start to whine a little, but don’t protest much more when they’re asked if they want to pick out cookies to leave out for Santa. Cody and Erin take the kids into the kitchen with their mother, Hannah and Jack are talking together on the couch, discussing traditions they will want to do when their child is born. Nicole sets her camera down on the end table, standing from her seat and making her way over to Waverly. 

She takes a seat next to Waverly on the couch, resting a hand naturally on her leg. Waverly hears Nicole gasp as she looks up to see where the redhead is looking. 

“Dad, please be careful!” Nicole calls out, standing up from where she’s sitting. Waverly notices Nicole’s father holding her camera and watches as Nicole quickly retrieves it from his hands, looking it over.

“Relax, Nicky, I’m not gonna break it!” He huffs. “I just wanted to see the pictures.” 

“I’m aware of that, it’s just my best camera so can we play be careful with it,” Nicole warns. 

“Man, how many cameras do you need?” Hannah chimes in.

“Well, im a photographer so back up is usually a smart move,” Nicole huffs in the direction of her sister. 

Nicole’s mom returns with the kids and begins to get them settled in on the couch for the story. Waverly moves from where she’s sitting, giving them more room to sit together. 

“Photography is a nice h-“ 

“Dad, I swear if you call my career a hobby right now I’m going to lose it,” the redhead warns. Waverly can feel her becoming more tense with every second that passes. She wants to step in and help but isn’t sure how yet. 

“Oh, Nicky, he just means,” her mom says, trying to defend her husband. 

“I know what he means mom,” Nicole says quickly, not allowing her time to finish. “And being a photographer is a career. It’s my career, in fact, and I love it. I’m not sure why you guys can’t just get that through your heads!” 

“Can I just say?” Waverly begins. She moves over next to Nicole. “Teaching is my passion. It always has been. It might seem like a stable career choice, but I followed it because I love it. Following a passion that’s less of a comfortable career choice is something that’s terrifying to me, but for Nicole to follow her dreams without looking back, that’s really something to be proud of,” she says as she places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. She can feel how tense she is under her touch. 

“We are proud of her,” Nicole’s father adds.

“They just have a funny way of showing it,” Nicole says under her breath. 

“What was that?” Nicole’s mom asks, giving her daughter a warning look. 

“Nothing,” Nicole huffs. “I’ll send you guys the photos like I always do,” she says. And with that, she turns and heads up the stairs. Waverly waits for a moment, unsure if she wants time alone or not. 

“Okay, kids, gather around for a story!” Nicole’s mom calls out, attempting to ease some of the tension in the room. The kids cheer as their grandmother sits on the couch with them, opening the cover to the book. 

Waverly smiles at the scene and silently excuses herself toward the stairs. As she reaches the banister with her hand, she hears a voice call out behind her. 

“Hey, Waverly, wait!” 

She turns around to see Nicole’s dad behind her. Unsure of what he’s about to say, she braces herself and turns around, giving him her full attention. 

“Look, I wanted to thank you,” the man says, softly. 

“Thank me?” Waverly asks. At this point she’s unsure of what she’s done that deserves praise. She’s basically a stranger that just told him to back off his daughter for having dreams. 

“Yeah, for supporting Nicky and loving her the way she deserves someone to love her,” he continues. His tone is soft and genuine. 

“Oh,” Waverly says. She’s not really sure what else to say at this point. 

“Look, I know she doesn’t think we support her and she thinks we’re out to get her,” he trails off as if he’s trying to get his thoughts together. 

“I’m not sure she thinks that, Mr. Haught,” Waverly assures him. 

“We are proud of our daughter,” he says. “And you’re right, she is brave for following her dreams. We just have normal parent worries, you know? It’s a little easier to sleep at night when you know your kids have a steady job and a solid home,” he says with a small laugh. “Nicky has always been a free spirit, and honestly, I envy that about her sometimes. She’s braver than I’ll ever be. But we just want to know that she’s okay.”

“That’s understandable,” Waverly tells him. “I’m sure any parent would have their worries,” she says. She thinks about what it would be like if she was in their shoes and she would probably have her worries as well. 

“But seeing her now, this trip home, she’s a different Nicole than I’ve seen in a long time,” he tells her. 

Waverly gives him a confused look, unsure of what he means by that. “Yeah?” 

“I haven't seen her so confident with her life since before she told me she was pursuing photography over basketball,” he says. “Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her this happy,” he admits. 

“Well, I don’t want to take all the credit for that,” Waverly says with a laugh. She’s sure she’s not the reason for Nicole’s happiness. She sees the way she lights up with photography and even with her family at times, that’s not about her. 

“Maybe so, but if you’re even part of the reason my daughter is glowing this Christmas, and I’m confident that you are, I just wanted to thank you. And I know you leave in the morning, but I really hope to have you back again,” the man says with a smile on his face. 

“I’d love to come back again,” Waverly says with a smile. She looks up the stairs before looking back at the man, seeing that his arms are outstretched toward her. She smiles and gives him a hug. “I’m going to go check on her,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder. He nods and Waverly turns to head for the stairs. 

As she makes her way to the top, she notices the door at the end of the hall is cracked opened a little. “Nicole?” She says before she fully enters the room.

“Hey,” the redhead says softly. She’s sitting on the edge of her bed with her camera in her hands. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks. 

“Yeah, sorry, I was just,” Nicole stutters. She stands from the bed, placing the camera down on the dresser. 

“You don’t have to explain, I understand,” Waverly says, offering her a soft smile. 

“I just don’t think my dad is ever going to get it,” Nicole sighs, plopping back down on the bed. 

“I know you probably don’t believe me, but I think he might get it more than you think,” Waverly tries to explain, thinking back to the conversation she just had at the bottom of the stairs. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks. 

Waverly sighs and takes a seat next to her. “I know I haven’t been around for anything and I’m probably overstepping boundaries and have absolutely no say in anything,” she begins to explain. “But your dad talked to me and from the sounds of it, he’s just worried that something bad could happen, not as much of your career choice,” she says. 

“My dad said that?” Nicole asks as if she doesn’t believe her. 

“He thanked me for adding to your happiness, I didn’t correct him, but I know that has nothing to do with me,” Waverly says. 

“That’s not fully true,” Nicole corrects her, turning to face her a little more. 

“What?” 

“You have this way about you,” Nicole tells her. Waverly narrows her eyes a little in confusion. “You brighten up a room in a way that I’ve never seen before. You make me feel ways I’ve never felt before,” she continues. “Everything has been the same for pretty much my entire life. Christmas, it’s the same. Same tree setup. Same decorations. Same story read before bed on Christmas Eve. Same food every year. But then I met you and suddenly everything feels brand new again.”

Waverly pauses for a moment. She looks into the brown eyes that are looking back at her, giving her a similar look that she received downstairs while she was singing. Waverly smiles and brushes Nicole’s cheek softly with her thumb. 

“I think you underestimate your ability to do something similar,” she tells her. “Your family lights up around you, and you do the same, especially with those kids. Being a part of that, even for a short period of time, has meant more to me than I’m ever going to be able to explain to you.” 

“You could try,” Nicole says with a smile. She takes Waverly’s free hand in her own, bringing it to her lips, kissing it softly.

“This is definitely one of the best Christmases I’ve had in a long time,” Waverly says. “I took a chance on a girl who caught my eye in an airport bar, did something I would usually never do.” She's still surprised by this, but wouldn’t change it for the world. 

“I’m still going to have to explain to them that we were never actually together at some point,” Nicole says, head dropping a little. 

“You could,” Waverly tells. “Or,” she says, placing a finger under Nicole’s chin, lifting it until they’re making eye contact again. “We could continue to take a chance on whatever this is,” she suggests. 

“We’d be together just to say goodbye,” Nicole says. 

“Maybe. But maybe it doesn’t have to be a goodbye. Maybe it’s more of a see you later, because I don't know about you, Nicole, but the thought of not seeing you again after this hurts like hell.” 

“Well,” Nicole says. She stands from the bed, turning her body to face the brunette. Waverly tilts her head up toward Nicole as she feels the woman cup her face with her hands. 

“Yeah?” She asks. 

“Maybe we don’t think about that? Not right now?” Nicole says, giving her a soft smile. 

“Maybe.” Waverly smiles back at her. “What is it that you want to think about?” She asks, boldly, as she sees the redhead leaning in to close the gap between them. 

Without words, Nicole places a soft kiss on the brunette’s lips before parting and turning toward the door. Waverly watches in confusion, but quickly laughs when she sees Nicole turn the lock to the door before returning to her. 

“What?” Nicole asks with a laugh when she notices the brunette looking back at her. Waverly’s eyes trail toward the door and Nicole’s follow. “I just wanted a moment alone with you,” she says with a shrug. 

“Oh, mhmm,” Waverly says, raising an eyebrow to the redhead as she hooks her fingers in the belt loops of her jeans, pulling her closer. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Nicole asks, grinning back at her as she leans in closer. 

Waverly shakes her head at the woman as she feels her breath against her own. She pushes up a little, fully removing any space left between the pair. The kiss deepens quickly. Waverly cups Nicole’s cheeks in her hands, pulling her closer, as if that were even possible.

She feels the redhead’s warm fingertips graze the skin just above her pants, sliding up her abs as she involuntarily flexes them under the touch. She feels like her heart is about to beat out of her chest feeling Nicole’s hands on her. She’s never felt so wanted.

Moving her hands from Nicole’s face to her hips, she slides her own hands underneath the fabric of the redhead’s shirt, only breaking the kiss long enough to lift the woman’s shirt over her head, discarding it somewhere on the floor. A soft laugh comes from Nicole as she mimics the action, relieving the brunette of her shirt as well, tossing it to the ground somewhere nearby. 

Waverly is pleasantly surprised when she feels the redhead wrap her arm strong arms around her body, lifting her effortlessly from her feet as she leads her to the bed behind her. Nicole gently sets Waverly down on the bed, hovering over her body for a moment as she takes in the sight. Waverly feels self-conscious for a moment as the redhead’s eyes scan her partially naked body, but the moment doesn’t last long when she feels Nicole’s lips begin to explore her exposed skin. 

Her breathing speeds up as pleasure begins to build within her with every kiss, every touch. Conscious of the house full of Nicole’s family members, she is careful of how loud she becomes when she feels one of Nicole’s hands cupping her breast over her bra. A low, throaty moan escapes her mouth and she watches as a proud grin grows on the redhead’s face. 

Waverly smiles up at her and she can’t help but feel safe with her already and she’s in awe of the way she effortlessly makes her feel so beautiful. Nicole carefully lifts her so she’s sitting up on the bed a little, allowing the redhead enough space to remove Waverly's bra. 

“Is this okay?” Nicole asks Waverly, as her hand fumbles slightly with the clasp of her bra. She nods in appreciation of the redhead respecting her enough or ask. 

Waverly sucks a breathe in quickly when she feels Nicole’s mouth on her skin, laying kisses on her breast just on the outside of her nipple. She barely remembers to let the breath back out when she feels Nicole’s mouth suck her nipple into her mouth. She throws her head back further on the bed and arches her back, allowing the redhead to take full control. 

She wraps her hands around to the redhead’s back, running her nails lightly down her bare skin, careful not to leave too much of a mark. She feels the redhead moan against her skin, sending goosebumps down her body. Nicole looks up at her, smiling for a moment before connecting their lips again as her hand slides further down Waverly’s body.

Her fingertips dance for a moment across the waistband of her highschool sweatpants and Waverly is still donning. She has to admit, she liked borrowing the redhead’s clothes and didn’t want to take them off, but she’s willing to make an acception for this. Lifting her hips from the bed, she allows Nicole to help her slide the pants further down her legs until she is kicking them off of her feet and onto the floor. 

When Nicole finally touches her where she needs it the most, she’s sure her moan is louder than she meant it to be. She cringes a little, but the redhead just laughs and tells her it’s okay. Waverly reaches for a nearby pillow, in case she needs to muffle the sound more. She focuses on the movements of Nicole’s hands, feeling herself losing control quicker than she expected. Her hips begin to move at a rhythm with the redhead’s hand as Nicole makes eye contact with her, like she’s reading her every thought. 

Waverly feels the connection between the pair grow as she lets out another moan, this time remembering to keep it more muffled than the last. Her breathing continues to increase with every movement the redhead makes. Nicole seems to be taking her time, reading the brunette’s body language to see what she really likes. It’s not long before she feels herself begin to topple over the edge. Nicole allows her time to completely finish before she retracts her hand and presses a hard kiss against Waverly’s lips. 

“Wow,” Waverly finally says when she feels that she can make words again. She opens her eyes, looking up at the woman who is now laying on the bed next to her, propping her head up on her hand. Nicole smiles back at her, tracing shapes on her bare skin with her fingers. 

“You can say that again,” the redhead smiles. “Third date?” she asks with a smirk.

Waverly nods and laughs. “Ready for a forth?” she asks, raising an eyebrow to the redhead as she rolls over on top of her, quickly pressing their lips back together. 

  
|  
  


Christmas morning rolls around and Waverly is grateful for the lock on the bedroom door when she hears the sound of small children running through the hallway outside of the door. She did put on one of Nicole’s old high school basketball tee shirts just in case, but she does enjoy the peace and quiet that had fallen over the room after at least another hour of the pair getting to know each other better. 

The brunette rolls over to see the redhead still sound asleep next to her. She smiles at the sight, but immediately feels a pain in her chest at the thought of having to leave her today. She softly brushes some loose hair from Nicole’s face, watching as she stirs a little in the bed. A smile grows across Nicole’s lips before she slowly opens her eyes. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” the redhead says through her smile as she wraps her arms around Waverly, pulling her in for a kiss. 

“Merry Christmas,” Waverly says softly, returning the kiss. 

“Merry Christmas, Waverly,” Nicole says. “Best Christmas ever,” she adds, causing Waverly to laugh. 

“It would be better if I didn’t have to leave today,” Waverly pouts. Nicole immediately takes her finger and places it over the brunette's mouth. 

“Shhh,” she says. “Don’t speak those dirty words.” Waverly laughs again and rolls closer to the redhead, feeling herself become fully enveloped in her arms. They stay like this for as long as humanly possible before they know that they actually have to get up. 

Waverly wants to make time to say goodbye to the family that took her in without any questions asked, even if they might not know the entire story. She knows she’s going to miss them as soon as she leaves the house, a pain she didn’t expect to feel.

Saying goodbye to Nicole’s family felt like she was saying goodbye to people that she has known her entire life. She assures them that she would love to come back and visit again and Nicole quickly agrees that they’re going to make it happen. Even if she’s unsure if it will ever happen again, there’s something about the way the redhead tells them she’s not letting Waverly get away that makes her feel like there’s a promise for the future there. 

The trip to the airport is quieter than Waverly expected it to be. She has so many things to say, but doesn’t want to rush it with the little time that they have left. Nicole parks the car and insists that she’s going to walk the brunette into the airport. Waverly doesn’t mind. The idea of not knowing when she’s going to see Nicole after today hurts more than she wants to admit. 

They make their way through the airport. It’s a lot less crowded than it was the last time they were there. Nicole carries one of Waverly’s bags until they reach the area where Waverly is going to have to continue on alone. The goodbye with the redhead is harder than the goodbyes that she had at the house that morning.

She feels Nicole wrap her arms around her, pulling her impossibly close to her body. They stand in silence for a few moments, just holding each other close while they can.

“It’s not goodbye,” Waverly says, teary eyed, into Nicole’s chest. 

“It’s see you later,” Nicole assures her, kissing the top of her head. Waverly pulls back enough to tilt her head up and make eye contact with the redhead. This is when she sees that she also has tears in her eyes. “Man, we can’t both cry,” Nicole jokes, wiping a tear from Waverly’s cheek.

“I’ll call you,” the brunette says. She’s unsure of what else to say. There doesn’t seem to be anything that’s going to make this goodbye better. 

Nicole nods. “I’ll text you until I annoy you, I’m sure,” she teases. 

Waverly laughs through her tears. “Please do,” she tells her. Nicole nods and leans down, kissing her lips softly, but full of passion.

“That’s a promise,” Nicole says. 

Waverly lets out a sigh and glances behind her at the security line beginning to get longer with more time that passes. “I should,” she says, gesturing over her shoulder. 

Nicole nods at the inevitable. “I’ll see you again, Earp,” the redhead says, giving her one last kiss before releasing her grip on the brunette. Waverly nods and takes her bag from Nicole’s hands. She pauses for a moment before finally turning toward the security lines, preparing herself for a long flight home, alone. 

After giving the redhead once more glance, she turns toward security, she finds herself pausing for a moment. Memories of everything that happened over the past couple of days flood her mind. She starts moving toward the lines, clutching her boarding pass and ID in her hand. She sees the TSA agent smile at her and wave her in their direction as she continues walking toward them. 

She can’t get thoughts of Nicole out of her head. The idea of leaving her right now causes a pain to press down on her chest, she suddenly feels like it’s difficult to breathe. She sees someone come rushing past her, jumping her in line as they make their way toward the security lines. She doesn’t mind. It gives her an extra moment to think. 

She stops walking just before she reaches the TSA desk. She looks down at her ticket in her hand and looks back over her shoulder, noticing she’s too far away to see if Nicole is still there. She lets out an audible sigh before handing the agent her ticket and ID, making her way up to the security line.

As she prepares her belongings to send them through the metal detectors, she opens her backpack, noticing the snow globe that the redhead had given her right after they met. She takes the object out of her backpack, shaking it in her hand, watching the snow fall over the airport inside. 

Tears begin to well in her eyes again as a huge smile grows over her face. She quickly puts the snow globe back, zipping the bag closed before slinging it back over her shoulder. She shakes her head, spinning quickly on her heels as she turns back in the direction she came from. 

“Ma’am!” A TSA agent calls out after her as she makes her way back out of security, heading back out into the airport. 

When she turns the corner, she sees the redhead at a distance with her back toward her. “Nicole!” She calls out. She watches as the redhead stops in her tracks, turning around slowly. 

Waverly continues walking toward her, unaware of anyone else around her at the moment. She sees a confused look on Nicole’s face. 

“What are you doing?” She asks. 

Waverly makes her way up to Nicole, dropping her bags on the floor next to her so she could free her hands and wrap her arms around the other woman. “I couldn’t go,” she tells her. 

“Why not?” Nicole asks, reciprocating the embrace. Her face is covered with confusion, but a smile comes through soon after. 

“I’m not ready for our story to be over,” Waverly says, pulling her closer. 

Nicole breathes a sigh of relief and a laugh bubbles out of her. Tears begins to build in her eyes. “It’s definitely too good of a story,” the redhead agrees. “We met in an airport bar,” she begins. 

“You were afraid I was robbing you,” Waverly teases.

“I talked your ear off,” Nicole says with a laugh, shaking her head. “And for some reason you still wanted to listen.”

“You wouldn’t stop apologizing for being passionate,” Waverly tells her. “Lucky for you, I think passionate is sexy,” she says with a wink.

Nicole smirks back at her. “You were a great listener,” she says. 

“You bought me a snow globe because you knew what that meant to me after one story,” Waverly says. 

“Flights were grounded and I couldn’t leave you,” Nicole continues. 

“You took me home with you, a complete stranger,” Waverly adds with a laugh. 

“Good thing you weren’t actually trying to rob me,” Nicole says, laughing more. 

“Your family was really sweet to me,” the brunette says, thinking about her time with the Haught family. 

“They probably like you more than me by now,” Nicole teases. 

Waverly playfully pushes the redhead, shaking her head at her. “Not true.”

“You kissed me under the mistletoe,” Nicole says, placing her hand on Waverly’s cheek. 

The brunette closes her eyes for a moment feeling the redhead’s fingers softly brush against her skin. “I didn’t want to stop,” she says with a smile as she opens her eyes. 

“You definitely didn’t have to,” Nicole reminds her. Waverly closes her eyes again as she sees Nicole lean in. She pushes up toward her, meeting her halfway as she presses a soft, slow kiss against the redhead’s lips. 

“You’re really going to miss your flight for me?” Nicole asks when they pull away from the kiss. 

Waverly pauses for a moment before she speaks. She nods her head in response to the question. “Two days ago I could barely muster up enough courage to ask you for one minute of your time,” she explains. “Now I’m asking you for one more day.”

“And then what?” Nicole asks. 

“And then we see where it goes from here,” Waverly says. “I don’t have all of the answers right now Nicole, but what I do know is that I want this,” she says, pressing her hand flat against the center of the redhead’s chest. 

Nicole nods. “Okay,” she says, almost in a whisper. “Okay,” she repeats with a smile. 

“It’s already Christmas, I’m still here, I might as well spend it where I know I’m not going to be alone,” Waverly tells her. “I’ll call my aunt, I’ll go back tomorrow,” she continues. “But for now, I know in my heart, this is where I need to be.”

She slides her hand so it’s pressing flat over the redhead’s heart. Nicole doesn’t speak, but she feels like she can read what she’s thinking. She sees her bite her bottom lip for a moment, eyes squinting slightly like she’s trying to get a read on what the brunette is thinking. 

“Ready to go back home then?” Nicole asks when she finally speaks again. Waverly nods and collects her bags. Nicole takes her guitar bag for her, carrying it over her shoulder. The redhead reaches out for her hand, linking their fingers together, as she leads her toward the outside of the airport. 

“Let’s go back home,” Waverly says, flashing a smile at the redhead.

As they exit the airport, Waverly takes in a deep breath of the fresh, cold air of the outdoors. She feels her heart begin to race, feeling Nicole squeeze her hand a little tighter. She thinks about being able to spend the rest of Christmas with Nicole and her family, finally feeling like she’s found a place where she belongs.


End file.
